UC-NRLF 


O 


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CD 


•    BOST.jQ  N  : 
GEORGE    E .    LITTLEFIELD, 

Antiquarian  IJookstore,  67  Cornhill. 

.  1877- 


THE 

CENTENNIAL  HISTORY 


OF   THE 


BATTLE  OF  BENNINGTON; 

COMPILED 

FROM  THE  MOST  RELIABLE  SOURCES,  AND  FULLY 

ILLUSTRATED  WITH  ORIGINAL  DOCUMENTS 

AND  ENTERTAINING  ANECDOTES. 

COL.  SETH  WARNER'S  IDENTITY  IN  THE  FIRST  ACTION 
COMPLETELY  ESTABLISHED. 

BY 
FRANK    W.     CO  BURN. 


EMBELLISHED   WITH   A   PORTRAIT  OF   GENERAL   STARK,    A   PLAN    OF 
THE   BATTLE-FIELD,   AND   OTHER   ENGRAVINGS. 


"True  to  its  trust,  Walloomsack  long 

The  record  bright  shall  bear, 
Who  came  up  at  the  battle  sound 
And  fought  for  freedom  there." 

—  REV.  E.  H.  CI-IAPIN,  D.  D. 


BOSTON: 
GEORGE    E.    LITTLEFIELD, 

Antiquarian  Bookstore,  67  Cornhill. 

1877- 


COPYRIGHT, 

1877. 
RICHARD    D.    CHILD. 


F.   BROWN   &   CO.,    STEREOTYPERS   AND    PRINTERS, 
No.  &0  BKOMFIKLD  STRUT. 


TO 


AS    A    TOKEN 

OF   MY 

HIGHEST     ESTEEM. 


M220371 


INTRODUCTION. 


In  the  following  pages  I  have  endeavored  to 
present  a  comprehensive,  readable,  and  above  all, 
a  faithful  account  of  the  battle  fought  near  Ben- 
nington,  August  i6th,  1777.  I  have  consulted, 
in  the  preparation  of  this  work,  the  Collections  of 
the  Vermont  and  Massachusetts  Historical  Socie 
ties  ;  Records  of  the  Council  of  Safety  of  Ver 
mont,  edited  by  E.  P.  Walton ;  Slade's  Vermont 
State  Papers;  Thompson's  Vermont;  Hemmen- 
way's  Vermont  Magazine  ;  Isaac  Jennings's  Me 
morials  of  a  Century;  Nelson's  Burgoyne's  Cam 
paign  ;  Everett's  Life  of  Stark,  and  many  other 
authorities,  unnecessary  to  mention  here.  From 
these  I  have  made  a  liberal  use  of  facts. 

My  thanks  are  due  to  Messrs.  Geo.  E.  Little- 
field,  and  Richard  D.  Child,  of  Boston  ;  and  to 
Mr.  Charles  H.  Guild,  of  Somerville,  for  their 
kindness  in  loaning  me  material  of  great  value, 
not  otherwise  easily  accessible. 

That  the  work  may  contain  errors,  I  do  not 
pretend  to  deny  ;  if  it  does,  they  are  unknown  to 
me,  for  I  have  labored  hard  to  make  it  correct. 
Such  as  it  is,  I  offer  it  to  the  people  of  my  native 
state,  Vermont,  and  to  those  of  New  Hampshire 
and  Massachusetts. 

FRANK  W>  COBURN. 

SOMERVILLE,  MASS.,  July  loth,  1877. 


The  Mouth  of  the  River  Boquet. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  BENNINGTON. 


EARLY  in  the  month  of  May,  1777,  General 
John  Burgoyne  arrived  in  Quebec,  and  at  once 
proceeded  to  assume  command  of  the  army  placed 
there  at  his  disposal.  This  force  consisted  of 
upwards  of  seven  thousand  men,  British  and 
German,  a  corps  of  artillerists,  numbering  about 
five  hundred,  seven  hundred  rangers,  under  Col. 
St.  Ledger,  two  thousand  Canadians,  whose  ser 
vices  as  axemen  and  general  camp  assistants  it 
was  foreseen  would  be  needed,  a  sufficient  num 
ber  of  seamen  for  manning  the  transports  on  the 
lakes,  and  on  the  Hudson,  and  a  body  of  scouts, 
to  be  used  in  whatever  service  that  might  be  re 
quired.  The  officers  who  seconded  Burgoyne  in 
this  expedition,  were  all  able  and  excellent  in 
their  respective  positions.  Among  these  may 
be  mentioned  Maj.-Gen.'s  Reidesel  and  Philips, 
and  Brig.-Gen.'s  Frazer,  Powal,  Hamilton,  Specht 
and  Goll. 

With  all  due  haste  Burgoyne  marched  down 
Lake  Champlain,  and  on  the  2ist  of  June  landed 
his  army  on  the  western  shore,  at  the  mouth  of 


8  The  Battle  of  Bennington. 

the  river  Boquet.  At  this  place  he  was  joined 
by  four  or  five  hundred  savages,  lured  by  the 
promise  of  a  plenty  of  plunder,  together  with  a 
few  gaudy  presents  in  hand.  Everything  must 
be  done  in  military  exactness  and  diplomatic  pre 
cision  with  Gen.  Burgoyne,  and  so  he  proceeded 
to  address  these  sons  of  the  forest  in  a  language 
no  more  than  half  of  which  was  within  the  scope 
of  their  comprehensions. 

"  Persuaded  that  your  magnanimity  of  charac- 
"  ter,  joined  to  your  principles  of  affection  to  the 
"  King,  will  give  me  fuller  controul  over  your 
"  minds  than  the  military  rank  with  which  I  am 
"  invested,  I  enjoin  your  most  serious  attention  to 
"the  rules  which  I  hereby  proclaim  for  your  in- 
"  variable  observation  during  the  campaign. 

"  I  positively  forbid  bloodshed,  when  you  are 
"  not  opposed  in  arms. 

"Aged  men,  women,  children,  and  prisoners, 
"must  be  held  sacred  from  the  knife  or  hatchet, 
"  even  in  the  time  of  actual  conflict. 

"  You  shall  receive  compensation  for  the  pris- 
"  oners  you  take ;  but  you  shall  be  called  to  ac- 
"  count  for  scalps." 

He  gave  them  permission,  however,  to  take  the 
scalps  of  the  dead,  when  killed  by  their  fire,  and 
in  actual  opposition  ;  "but  on  no  account,  or  pre 
tence,  or  subtlety,  or  prevarication,  are  they  to 
be  taken  from  the  wounded,  or  even  dying." 

"  Base,  lurking  assassins,  incendiaries,  ravagers, 
and  plunderers  of  the  country,  to  whatever  army 


The  Battle  of  Bennington.  9 

they  may  belong,  shall  be  treated  with  less  re 
serve  ;  but  the  latitude  must  be  given  you  by 
order,  and  I  must  be  the  judge  of  the  occasion." 
He  gave  them  the  privilege  to  retaliate  on  the 
Americans  for  any  acts  of  barbarity  they  might 
commit. 

In  reply  an  old  chief  of  the  Iroquois  said, 
"  With  one  common  assent,  we  promise  a  com 
mon  obedience  to  all  you  have  ordered,  and  all 
you  shall  order ;  and  may  the  father  of  days  give 
you  many  and  success !  We  have  been  tried  and 
tempted  by  the  Bostonians ;  but  we  have  loved 
our  father,  and  our  hatchets  have  been  sharpened 
upon  our  affections." 

On  July  ist  the  enemy  arrived  in  the  imme 
diate  vicinity  of  Ticonderoga,  and  on  the  4th 
Burgoyne  issued  his  famous  proclamation  where 
in  he  guarantees  his  fullest  protection  to  the 
"domestic,  the  industrious,  the  infirm,  and  even 
the  timid,"  provided  they  will  "  remain  quietly  at 
their  houses ;  that  they  do  not  suffer  their  cattle 
to  be  removed,  nor  their  corn  or  forage  to  be 
secreted  or  destroyed ;  that  they  do  not  break 
up  their  bridges  or  roads ;  nor  by  any  other  act, 
directly  or  indirectly,  endeavor  to  obstruct  the 
operations  of  the  King's  troops,  or  supply  or 
assist  those  of  the  enemy."  He  wishes  for  more 
persuasive  terms  to  give  his  proclamation  a  suffi 
cient  impression,  but  at  all  events  "let  not  people 
be  led  to  disregard  it,"  at  whatever  distance  they 
may  be  from  the  camp,  for,  "  I  have  but  to  give 


io  The  Battle  of  Bcnuington. 

stretch  to  the  Indian  forces  under  my  direction, 
and  they  amount  to  thousands,  to  overtake  the 
hardened  enemies  of  G.  Britain  and  America." 

He  trusts  in  the  eyes  of  God  and  men  to  stand 
acquitted  for  his  zeal  in  denouncing  and  executing 
the  vengeance  of  the  State  on  the  wilful  outcasts 
who  still  continue  in  the  "  phrenzy  of  hostility." 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  5th  of  July,  the  ene-, 
my  gained  the  height  of  Sugar  Hill,  or  Mount 
Defiance,  as  it  is  now  called,  which  commanded 
both  Fort  Ticonderoga  and  the  adjoining  post, 
Mount  Independence.  These  two  positions,  held 
by  about  three  thousand  Americans,  were  under 
the  immediate  command  of  General  Arthur  St. 
Clair,  subject,  however,  to  Gen.  Philip  Schuyler 
stationed  some  miles  below,  at  Fort  Edward,  on 
the  Hudson. 

St.  Clair  found  it  necessary  to  call  a  council  of 
war  to  determine  on  what  course  to  pursue.  It 
was  unanimously  agreed  that  the  posts  were  no 
longer  tenable,  and  therefore  an  immediate  evac 
uation  was  decided  upon.  Early  the  next  morn 
ing  the  troops  were  put  in  motion,  and  at  four 
o'clock,  the  rear  guard,  under  Col.  Francis,  suc 
ceeded  in  making  good  their  retreat.  Some  one, 
contrary  to  distinct  orders,  set  fire  to  a  house  on 
Mount  Independence,  the  blaze  of  which  revealed 
every  movement  of  the  Americans  to  the  enemy. 
This  created  not  a  little  confusion  among  our 
troops,  but  through  the  personal  exertions  of  St. 
Clair,  order  vas  finally  restored. 


The  Battle  of  Bennington.  1 1 

Upon  arriving  at  Hubbardton  the  rear  guard, 
consisting  then  of  three  regiments  and  a  few 
stragglers,  was  placed  under  the  command  of 
Col.  Seth  Warner,  with  orders  to  remain  there 
until  the  next  morning,  to  allow  those  who  had 
fallen  behind  to  come  up.  This  force  amounted 
to  twelve  hundred  men,  and 'included,  besides  his 
own,  the  regiments  of  Col.'s  Francis  and  Hale. 

When  General  Frazer  perceived,  in  the  morn 
ing  of  the  evacuation,  that  the  Americans  were 
retiring,  he  commenced  an  immediate  pursuit. 
General  Reidesel,  and  most  of  the  Brunswickers 
were  likewise  ordered  to  join  and  act  with  Frazer, 
or  separately,  as  circumstances  might  warrant. 

On  the  morning  of  the  7th,  they  came  up  with 
Warner,  and  a  bloody  conflict  ensued.  Col.  Hale, 
with  his  men,  ignominiously  fled,  leaving  the  reg 
iments  of  Francis  and  Warner  to  cope  with  the 
enemy  as  best  they  might.  Col.  Francis  fell  in 
the  action,  and  Warner  was  forced  to  once  more 
sound  the  retreat.  The  loss  of  the  Americans  in 
this  battle  was  three  hundred  and  twenty-four,  in 
killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners,  while  the  enemy's 
loss  was  but  one  hundred  and  eighty-three. 

Burgoyne,  with  his  main  army,  still  continued 
on  his  southward  course,  using  every  exertion  to 
open  the  way  from  Skenesborough  to  Fort  Ed 
ward;  but  so  effectually  had  the  Americans 
blocked  up  his  way,  by  various  means,  that  his 
army  was  frequently  twenty-four  hours  in  ad 
vancing  one  mile.  On  the  3Oth  of  July,  Bur- 


12  The  Battle  of  Bennington. 

goyne  arrived  and  fixed  his  head-quarters  at  Fort 
Edward,  which  post  General  Schuyler  and  his 
whole  force  had  evacuated  on  the  22d,  and  fled 
further  south,  arriving  at  Stillwater  on  the  ist 
day  of  August.  Burgoyne's  forces  were  now 
employed,  from  his  arrival  here,  until  the  i5th  of 
August,  in  bringing  forward  batteaux,  provisions, 
and  ammunition  from  Fort  George,  at  the  foot 
of  Lake  George,  to  the  first  or  nearest  navigable 
part  of  the  Hudson,  a  distance  of  not  more  than 
fifteen  miles.  The  labor  was  excessive,  more 
especially  for  the  European  soldiers,  whose  inex 
perience  in  this  part  of  warfare  rendered  them 
almost  unfit  for  any  use ;  and  so  with  all  the 
efforts  that  Burgoyne  could  possibly  make,  he 
was  soon  compelled  to  admit  the  alarming  scar 
city  of  provisions  in  his  camp.  The  Americans, 
too,  in  retreating,  had  taken  the  greatest  pains  to 
destroy  everything  that  might  be  of  any  service 
to  the  enemy,  whether  it  might  be  in  the  shape 
of  food  or  otherwise.  "  I  have  called  it  a  desert 
country,"  said  Glick,  a  German  officer,  "  not  only 
with  reference  to  its  natural  sterility,  and  heaven 
knows  it  was  sterile  enough,  but  because  of  the 
pains  which  were  taken,  and  unfortunately  with 
too  great  success,  to  sweep  its  few  cultivated 
spots  of  all  articles  likely  to  benefit  the  invaders." 
And  so  when  the  welcome  news  came  that  there 
was  a  large  store  of  provisions  at  Bennington, 
news  brought  in  by  the  Tories,  Burgoyne  at 
once  determined  to  seize  that  place  to  supply 


The  Battle  of  Bennington.  1 3 

his  own  necessities.  He  entered  upon  this  pro 
ject  with  great  ardor.  "  With  all  the  elation  of 
"his  hopes,"  says  the  Rev.  Isaac  Jennings,  in  his 
'Memorials  of  a  Century/  "he  fitted  out  this  ex 
pedition  with  much  care.  He  selected  for  its 
"  nucleus  and  chief  dependence  a  corps  of  Ried- 
"  sell's  dismounted  dragoons,  —  the  same  that 
"had  behaved  so  gallantly  at  Hubbarclton,  —  a 
"company  of  sharpshooters,  chosen  with  care 
"from  all  the  regiments,  under  Capt.  Frazer,  —  a. 
"  most  excellent  officer ;  —  Peters'  corps  of  Loy- 
"  alists,  to  be  swelled  as  they  proceeded ;  a  body 
"of  Canadian  rangers;  Hanan  artillerists  with 
"  two  cannon  ;  a  hundred  and  fifty  Indians.  He 
"  placed  all  under  the  care  of  Lieut.-Col.  Baum,  a 
"skilled  and  thoroughly  brave  German  officer. 
"  To  these  troops  he,  after  they  had  proceeded  on 
"  their  way  a  little,  added  fifty  chasseurs."  Bur- 
goyne,  as  might  be  expected,  again  found  it  nec 
essary  to  add  one  more  to  his  list  of  State  Docu 
ments,  a  species  of  composition  he  particularly 
delighted  in.  As  usual,  it  was  drawn  up  with 
the  greatest  of  care,  and  the  minutest  attention 
to  detail.  I  quote  it  in  full : 

Burgoynes  Instructions  to  Col.  Baum. 

"The  object  of  your  expedition  is  to  try  the  af 
fections  of  the  country,  to  disconcert  the  coun- 
"cils  of  the  enemy,  to  mount  the  Reidesel's  dra- 
"  goons,  to  complete  Peters's  corps,  and  to  obtain 
"large  supplies  of  cattle,  horses,  and  carnages. 


14  The  Battle  of  Bennington. 

"  The  several  corps,  of  which  the  enclosed  is  a 
"  list,  are  to  be  under  your  command. 

"The  troops  must  take  no  tents,  and  what  lit- 
"tle  baggage  is  carried  by  officers,  must  be  on 
"  their  own  bat-horses. 

"You  are  to  proceed  from  Batten  Kill,  to  Aslin- 
"ton,  and  take  post  there,  till  the  detachment  of 
"provincials  under  the  command  of  Capt.  Sher- 
"wood,  shall  join  you  from  the  southward. 

"You  are  then  to  proceed  to  Manchester,  where 
"  you  will  again  take  post,  so  as  to  secure  the  pass 
"of  the  mountains  on  the  road  from  Manchester 
"  to  Rockingham ;  from  thence  you  will  detach 
"the  Indians  and  light  troops  to  the  northward, 
"towards  Otter  Creek.  On  their  return,  and  also 
"  receiving  intelligence  that  no  enemy  is  in  force 
"  upon  the  Connecticut  river,  you  will  proceed  by 
"the  road  over  the  mountains  to  Rockingham, 
"  where  you  will  take  post.  This  will  be  the  most 
"  distant  post  on  the  expedition,  and  must  be  pro- 
"  ceeded  upon  with  caution,  as  you  will  have  the 
"defile  of  the  mountains  behind  you,  which  might 
"make  a  retreat  difficult.  You  must  therefore 
"  endeavor  to  be  well  informed  of  the  force  of  the 
"enemy's  militia  in  the  neighboring  country. 
"Should  you  find  it  may  with  prudence  be  effect- 
"ed,  you  are  to  remain  there,  while  the  Indians 
"and  light  troops  are  detached  up  the  river,  and 
"you  are  afterwards  to  descend  the  river,  to  Brat- 
"tlebury,  and  from  that  place,  by  the  quickest 
"march,  you  are  to  return  by  the  great  road  to 
"  Albany. 

"  During  your  whole  progress,  your  detach- 
"  ments  are  to  have  orders  to  bring  in  to  you,  all 
"horses  fit  to  mount  the  dragoons,  under  your 
"  command ;  to  serve  as  bat-horses  to  the  troops, 


The  Battle  of  Bennington.  r  5 

"  together  with  as  many  saddles  and  bridles  as 
"  can  be  found.  The  number  of  horses  requisite, 
"besides  those  necessary  for  mounting  the  reg 
iment  of  dragoons,  ought  to  be  thirteen  hun- 
"  dred.  If  you  can  bring  more  for  the  use  of  the 
"army,  it  will  be  so  much  the  better.  Your  par- 
"  ties  are  likewise  to  bring  in  waggons  and  other 
"convenient  carriages,  with  as  many  draft-oxen 
"  as  will  be  necessary  to  draw  them  ;  and  all  cattle 
"fit  for  slaughter  (milch  cows  excepted),  which 
"  are  to  be  left  for  the  use  of  the  inhabitants. 
"  Regular  receipts,  in  the  form  hereto  subjoined, 
"  are  to  be  given  in  all  places  where  any  of  the 
"  above-mentioned  articles  are  taken,  to  such  per- 
"sons  as  have  remained  in  their  habitations,  and 
"otherwise  complied  with  the  terms  of  General 
"  Burgoyne's  Manifesto :  but  no  receipt  to  be 
"given  to  such  as  are  known  to  be  acting  in  the 
"  service  of  the  Rebels.  As  you  will  have  with 
"  you  persons  who  are  perfectly  acquainted  with 
"  the  abilities  of  the  country,  it  may  perhaps  be 
"advisable  to  tax  the  several  districts,  with  the 
"portions  of  the  several  articles,  and  limit  the 
"  hours  of  delivery ;  and  should  you  find  it  neces- 
"  sary  to  move  before  the  delivery  can  be  made, 
"  hostages  of  the  most  respectable  people  should 
"  be  taken,  to  secure  their  following  you  the  ensu- 
"  ing  clay.  All  possible  measures  to  be  used  to 
"  prevent  plundering.  As  it  is  probable  that  Capt. 
"  Sherwood,  who  is  already  detached  to  the  south- 
"ward,  and  will  join  you  at  Arlington,  will  drive 
"  a  considerable  quantity  of  horses  and  cattle  in  to 
"  you,  you  will  therefore  send  in  this  cattle  to  the 
"  army,  with  a  proper  detachment  from  Peters 's 
"corps,  to  cover  them,  in  order  to  disincumber 
"yourself;  but  you  must  always  keep  the  regi- 


1 6  The  Battle  of  Bennington. 

"meat  of  dragoons  compact.  The  dragoons 
"themselves  must  ride  and  take  care  of  the 
"  horses  of  the  regiment.  Those  horses  which  are 
"  destined  for  the  army  must  be  tied  together  by 
"  strings  of  ten  each,  in  order  that  one  man  may 
"lead  ten  horses.  You  will  give  the  unarmed 
"men  of  Peters's  corps  to  conduct  them,  and  in- 
"  habitants  whom  you  can  trust.  You  must  always 
"take  your  camps  in  good  position,  but  at  the 
"  same  time  where  there  is  pasture,  and  you  must 
"have  a  chain  of  sentinels  around  your  horses 
"  and  cattle  when  grazing.  Col.  Skeene  will  be 
"with  you  as  much  as  possible,  in  order  to  assist 
"you  with  his  advice,  to  help  you  to  distinguish 
"  the  good  subjects  from  the  bad,  to  procure  you 
"  the  best  intelligence  of  the  enemy,  and  to  choose 
"  those  people  who  are  to  bring  me  the  accounts 
"  of  your  progress  and  success. 

"  When  you  find  it  necessary  to  halt  for  a  day 
"  or  two,  you  must  always  entrench  the  camp  of 
"  the  regiment  of  Dragoons,  in  order  never  to 
"  risque  an  attack  or  affront  from  the  enemy. 

"  As  you  will  return  with  the  regiment  of  dra- 
"  goons  mounted,  you  must  always  have  a  detach- 
"  ment  of  Capt.  Frazer's  or  Peters's  corps  in  front 
"  of  the  column,  and  the  same  in  the  rear,  in  order 
"  to  prevent  your  falling  into  an  ambuscade,  when 
"  you  march  through  the  woods. 

"  You  will  use  all  possible  means  to  make  the 
"  enemy  believe  that  the  troops  under  your  com- 
"  mand  are  the  advanced  corps  of  the  army,  and 
"  that  it  is  intended  to  pass  the  Connecticut  on 
"  the  road  to  Boston. 

"  You  will  likewise  insinuate  that  the  main 
"  army  from  Albany  is  to  be  joined  at  Springfield 
"  by  a  corps  of  troops  from  Rhode  Island.  It  is 


The  Battle  of  Bennington.  17 

"  highly  probable  that  the  corps  under  Mr.  War- 
"ner,  now  supposed  to  be  at  Manchester,  will 
"  retreat  before  you ;  but  should  they,  contrary  to 
"  expectation,  be  able  to  collect  in  great  force,  and 
"  post  themselves  advantageously,  it  is  left  to  your 
"discretion  to  attack  them  or  not,  always  bearing 
"in  mind  that  your  corps  is  too  valuable  to  let 
"  any  considerable  loss  be  hazarded  on  this  occa- 
"sion, 

"  Should  any  corps  be  moved  from  Mr.  Arnold's 
"  main  army,  in  order  to  intercept  your  retreat, 
"  you  are  to  take  as  strong  a  post  as  the  country 
"will  afford,  and  send  the  quickest  intelligence 
"  to  me,  and  you  may  depend  on  my  making  such 
"  a  movement  as  shall  put  the  enemy  between  two 
"  fires,  or  otherwise  effectually  sustain  you. 

"  It  is  imagined  that  the  whole  of  this  expedi- 
"  tion  may  be  effected  in  about  a  fortnight,  but 
"  every  movement  of  it  must  depend  upon  your 
"  success  in  obtaining  such  supply  of  provisions 
"  as  will  enable  you  to  subsist  for  your  return  to 
"  the  army,  in  case  you  get  no  more ;  and  should 
"  not  the  army  be  able  to  reach  Albany  before 
"  your  expedition  shall  be  completed,  I  will  find 
"means  to  give  you  notice  of  it,  and  give  your 
"  rout  another  direction. 

"  All  persons  acting  in  committees,  or  any  offi- 
"  cers  under  the  directions  of  the  Congress,  either 
"  civil  or  military,  are  to  be  made  prisoners. 

"  I  heartily  wish  you  success,  and  have  the 
"  honor  to  be,  Sir, 

"  Your  most  obedient  humble  servant, 

"  J.  BURGOYNE,  Lieutenant-General. 

"HEAD-QUARTERS,  August  9th,  1777. 

It  will  be  seen   that  the  above  document  is 


1 8  The  Battle  of  Bennington. 

dated  August  9th,  1877,  but  it  was  not  until  the 
early  morning  of  the  i2th  that  Baum  left  for 
Bennington.  The  great  object,  as  expressed  in 
his  instructions,  was  to  obtain  horses  and  cattle, 
but  when  his  departure  drew  near  at  hand,  the 
consideration  of  provisions  arose,  and  so  these 
same  instructions  were  modified  a  little. 

That  afternoon,  at  four  o'clock,  they  arrived  at 
the  Batten  Kill,  and  encamped.  It  was  at  this 
place  that  the  fifty  chasseurs  overtook  them,  that 
Burgoyne  had  sent  out  as  a  reinforcement  At 
five  the  next  morning,  Baum  again  moved  forward 
towards  Cambridge,  sending  ahead  a  force  of 
thirty  provincials  and  fifty  Indians  to  surprise 
an  American  army-guard,  with  some  cattle,  that 
he  had  heard  were  stationed  there,  which  suc 
ceeded  in  capturing  five  prisoners.  Arriving  at 
Cambridge,  Baum  captured  a  number  of  horses, 
cattle,  wagons  and  carts,  and  then  sent  word  back 
to  Burgoyne  as  to  his  progress,  and  the  success 
he  had  met  with,  not  forgetting  to  inform  him, 
also,  that  it  had  been  rumored  there  were  at  least 
eighteen  hundred  men  assembled  at  Bennington, 
ready  to  receive  him.  Upon  receiving  this  com 
munication,  Burgoyne  replied  as  follows : 

General  Burgoyne  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  Baum. 

"NEAR  SARATOGA,  14  August,  1777." 
"SIR," 

"  The  accounts  you  have  given  me  are  very  sat- 
"  isfactory,  and  I  doubt  not  every  proceeding  un- 


The  Battle  of  Bcnnington.  19 

"  der  your  direction  will  be  the  same.  I  beg  the 
"favor  of  you  to  report  whether  the  route  you 
"  have  marched  will  be  practicable  with  a  large 
"corps  of  cannon,  without  repair,  or  with  what 
"  sort  of  repair.  The  desirable  circumstances  for 
"  your  corps  is,  at  present,  to  possess  Bennington ; 
"but  should  you  find  the  enemy  too  strongly 
"  posted,  and  maintaining  such  a  countenance  as 
"  would  make  a  coup  de  main  hazardous,  I  wish 
"  you  to  take  such  a  post  as  you  can  maintain  till 
"  you  hear  further  from  me ;  and  upon  your  re- 
"  ports  and  other  circumstances,  I  will  either  sup- 
"  port  you  in  force  or  withdraw  you. 

"  You  will  please  send  to  my  camp,  as  soon  as 
"you  can,  wagons  and  draught-cattle,  and  like- 
"  wise  such  other  cattle  as  are  not  necessary  for 
"your  subsistence.  Let  the  wagons  and  carts 
"  bring  off  what  flour  and  wheat  they  can,  that 
"  you  do  not  retain  for  the  same  purpose.  I  will 
"write  to  you  in  full  to-morrow  in  regard  to  pur- 
"  chasing  horses  out  of  the  hands  of  the  savages. 
"  In  the  meantime  let  them  be  assured  that  what- 
"  ever  you  select  from  them,  fit  to  mount  the  dra- 
"  goons,  shall  be  paid  for  at  proper  price. 

"  I  am,  &c., 

"JOHN  BURGOYNE." 

To  aid  Baum,  in  case  he  needed  it,  General 
Burgoyne,  at  8  o'clock  on  the  1 5th  day  of  August, 
ordered  Col.  Breyman  with  a  large  force,  consist 
ing  of  a  company  of  yagers,  and  a  battalion  of 
chasseurs  and  grenadiers  to  follow  and  act  as  a 
re-enforcement.  He  had  himself  moved  the  main 
army  down  the  east  bank  of  the  Hudson,  and  the 


2O  T/ie  Battle  of  Bennington, 

advanced  corps  succeeded,  in  crossing  over  on  a 
bridge  of  rafts,  and  encamped  near  Saratoga. 
The  difficulty  Breyman's  troops  experienced  in 
crossing  the  Batten  Kill,  the  muddy  roads  and 
rainy  weather,  prevented  them  from  reaching 
Cambridge  that  clay,  and  so  they  encamped  seven 
miles  from  that. .place.  He  had,  before  reaching 
the  night's  encampment,  despatched  ,  an  express 
to  Col.  Baum,  informing  him  of  his  proposed  as 
sistance,  the  re^ply  to  which  he  received  the  next 
morning. 

The  progress -of  the  invading  army  had  been 
watched  with  a  great  deal  of  interest  by  the 
inhabitants  through  whose  territory  it  passed. 
The  alarm  spread  rapidly  far  into  New  York, 
and  on  the  other  side,  even  beyond  the  Green 
Mountains  to  the  Connecticut  river.  The  spirit 
that  governed  the  people  was  generally  one  of  bit 
ter  opposition,  although  many  submissively  took 
the  oath  of  allegiance  for  the  sake  of  protecting 
their  families,  it  was  alleged,  but  the  truth  is  they 
were  inspired  more  by  cowardice  than  any  of 
the  benefits  of  policy.  Some  of  these  were  loud 
in  their  denunciations  of  the  course  pursued  by 
the  Parliament,  of  Great  Britain,  but  when  the 
opportunity  came  to  vindicate  their  opinions,  it 
was  discovered  that  they  "  did  not  believe  in  war  " ; 
that  they  had  rather  submit  to  "  trifling  wrongs  " 
than  to  "take  up  arms  against  their  brothers." 
Tender  consideration!  Burgoyne  found,  much 
to  his  dismay,  and  by  bitter  experience,  that  these 


The  Battle  of  Bcniiington.  2 1 

people  existed  in  a  small  minority.  He  had  flat 
tered  himself  that  his  "  Proclamations  "  would  at 
once  convince  the  greater  portion  of  the  inhabi 
tants  the  needlessness  of  rebellion,  the  folly  of  any 
kind  of  opposition,  the  sublime  mercy  of  the  King! 
This  mistake  did  not  fully  dawn  upon  his  mind 
at  once,  but  required  the  battle  of  Bennington  to 
develop.  In  a  private  letter  to  Lord  George  Ger 
main,  dated  August  2oth,  1877,  he  says,  "Wher 
ever  the  King's  forces  point,  militia  to  the  amount 
of  three  or  four  thousand  assemble  in  twenty-four 
hours ;  they  bring  with  them  their  subsistence, 
etc.,  and  the  alarm  over,  they  return  to  their 
farms.  The  Hampshire  Grants,  in  particular,  a 
country  unpeopled,  and  almost  unknown  in  the 
last  war,  now  abounds  in  the  most  active  and 
most  rebellious  race  of  the  contirient,  arid  hangs 
like  a  gathering  storm  on  my  left."  That  there 
were  some  actuated  by  what  they  considered  to  be 
right  motives,  none  can  doubt.  They  made  sacri 
fices  to<  sustain  what  they  deemed  to  be  principles. 
Their  estates  in  Vermont  were,  sold  to  meet  the 
cxpences  of  an  armed  force  to  oppose  them  in  the 
field.  They  might  have  hoped  to  regain  them  at 
some 'future  day,  but  still  it  was,  at  least,  the  risk 
of  a  sacrifice. 

The  people  who  preferred  to  stand  on  the  side 
of  the  American  cause  were  not  without  their 
troubles  and  dangers.  Those  of  them  residing 
in  the  northern  parts  of  the1  Grants,  and  in  some 
parts  of  New  York,  were  compelled  to  move  their 


22  The  Battle  of  Bennington. 

worldly  goods  farther  south  in  order  to  prevent 
them  from  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 
Those  residing  in  the  south  gladly  received  them 
and  shared  with  them  the  hospitality  of  their 
roofs.  They  were  willing,  indeed,  to  share  with 
each  other  their  "mutual  cares,  labors  and  dan 
gers." 

In  order  to  meet  Burgoyne  with  something  like 
a  show  of  spirited  opposition,  the  Vermont  Coun 
cil  of  Safety,  a  body  appointed  by  the  Convention 
that  formed  the  Vermont  Constitution  to  act  un 
til  the  new  government  could  be  organized,  called 
upon  New  Hampshire  and  Massachusetts  to  aid 
in  the  defence  of  the  frontier,  urging,  as  a  reason 
for  their  immediate  action,  that  in  case  Vermont 
was  neglected,  the  war  would  of  necessity  be  car 
ried  into  their  own  territory. 

ADDRESS  OF  THE  COUNCIL  OF  SAFETY  IN  VERMONT,  TO 
THE  COUNCILS  OF  SAFETY  IN  MASSACHUSETTS  AND  NEW 
HAMPSHIRE. 

"In  Council  of  Safety,  State  of  Vermont,  Man 
chester,  July  15,  1777. 

"  GENTLEMEN  :  This  state,  in  particular,  seems 
"  to  be  at  present  the  object  of  destruction.  By 
"the  surrender  of  the  fortress  of  Ticonderoga, 
"  a  communication  is  opened  to  the  defenceless 
"inhabitants  on  the  frontier,  who,  having  little 
"  more  in  store  at  present,  than  sufficient  for  the 
"  maintenance  of  their  respective  families,  and  not 
"  ability  immediately  to  remove  their  effects,  are, 
"  therefore,  induced  to  accept  such  protections  as 


The  Battle  of  Bennington.  23 

"  are  offered  them  by  the  enemy.  By  this  means, 
"  those  towns  who  are  most  contiguous  to  them, 
"  are  under  the  necessity  of  taking  such  protec- 
"  tion ;  by  which  the  next  town  or  towns  become 
"  equally  a  frontier  as  the  former  towns,  before 
"  such  protection ;  and  unless  we  can  have  the  as- 
"  sistance  of  our  friends,  so  as  to  put  it  immediately 
"  in  our  power  to  make  a  sufficient  stand  against 
"  such  strength  as  they  may  send,  it  appears  that 
"  it  will  soon  be  out  of  the  power  of  this  state  to 
"  maintain  its  territory. 

"  This  country,  notwithstanding  its  infancy, 
"  seems  to  be  as  well  supplied  with  provisions  for 
"  victualling  an  army  as  any  on  the  continent ;  so 
"  that  on  that  account  we  cannot  see  why  a  stand 
"  may  not  as  well  be  made  in  this  state  as  in  the 
"  Massachusetts ;  and  more  especially,  as  the  in- 
"  habitants  are  disposed  to  defend  their  liberties. 

"  You,  gentlemen,  will  be  at  once  sensible,  that 
"  every  such  town  as  accepts  protection,  is  rcn- 
"  dered  at  that  instant  incapable  of  affording  any 
"further  assistance;  and  what  is  infinitely  worse, 
"as  some  disaffected  persons  eternally  lurk  in  al- 
"  most  every  inhabited  town,  such  become  doubly 
"fortified  to  injure  their  country,  our  good  dispo- 
"  sition  to  defend  ourselves,  and  make  a  frontier 
"  for  your  state  with  our  own,  which  cannot  be 
"  carried  into  execution  without  your  assistance. 
"  Should  you  send  immediate  assistance,  we  can 
"  help  you ;  and  should  you  neglect  till  we  are  put 
"  to  the  necessity  of  taking  protection,  you  know 
"  it  is  in  a  moment  out  of  our  power  to  assist  you. 
"  Your  laying  these  circumstances  together  will,  I 
"  hope,  induce  your  honours  to  take  the  same  into 
"  consideration,  and  immediately  send  us  your  de- 
"  termination  in  the  premises.  I  have  the  satisfac- 


24  The  Battle  of  Benningfott. 

"  tion  to  be,  your  honours  most  obedient  and  very 
"  humble  servant,  by  order  of  council." 

"  IRA  ALLEN,  Sec'ry? 

The  state  of  New  Hampshire  replied  as  follows : 

LETTER  FROM  MESCHECH  WEARE,  PRESIDENT  OF  IHE  STATE 
OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE,  TO  IRA  ALLNE,  SECRETARY  OF 
THE  STATE  OF  VERMONT. 

"  EXETER,  JULY  19,  1777. 

"SiR:  I  was  favoured  with  yours  of  the  i5th 
"  inst.  yesterday  by  express,  and  laid  the  same  be-, 
"  fore  our  general  court,  who  are  sitting. 

"  We  had,  previous  thereto,  determined  to  send 
"  assistance  to  your  state.  They  have  now  deter-. 
"  mined,  that  a  quarter  part  of  the  militia  of  twelve. 
"  regiments  shall  be  immediately  draughted,  formed, 
"  into  three  battalions,  under  the  command  of  Brig. 
"  Gen.  John  Stark,  and  forthwith  sent  into  your 
"state,  to  oppose  the  ravages  and  coming  forward 
"  of  the  enemy ;  and  orders  are  now  issuing,  and 
"  will  all  go  out  in  a  few  hours,  to  the  several 
"  Colonels  for  that  purpose.  Dependence  is  made. 
"  that  they  will  be  supplied  with  provision  in  your 
"state;  and  I  am,  to  desire  your  convention  will 
"  send  some  proper  person  or  persons  to  Number 
"  Four,  by  Thursday  next,  to  meet  Gen.  Stark 
"  there,  and  advise  with  him  relative  to  the  route 
"and  disposition  of  our  troops,  and  to  give  him 
"  such  information  as  you  may  then  have,  relative 
"  to  the  manoeuvres  of  the  enemy.  In  behalf  of, 
"  the  council  and  assembly,  I  am,  sir,  your  most. 
"  obedient  humble  servant," 

"  MESCHECH  WEARE,  President? 

"!RA  ALLEN,  ESQ.,  Secretary  of  the  State  of  Vennont" 


The  Battle  of  Bennington.  25 

Col.  John  Stark  had  retired  from  the  service  of 
the  Continental  Army  for  the  particular  reason 
that  Congress  in  making  out  a  new  list  of  promo 
tions,  had  omitted  his  name,  and  advanced  others, 
whom,  he  considered,  if  not  in  rank,  at  least  in 
ability,  every  way  his  inferiors.  His  experience 
among  the  Indians,  and  his  valuable  services  in 
the  French  War,  had  endeared  him  to  the  respect 
of  the  citizens  of  New  Hampshire,  and  in  thus  re 
tiring  from  the  army,  he  had  many  sympathisers. 

Stark  was  one  of  the  first  to  start  for  the  sea- 
coast,  upon  hearing  of  the  affair  at  Lexington  and 
Concord.  He  had  left  instructions  for  such  as 
desired  to  follow  him  as  volunteers  in  the  cause 
of  the  Colonists,  to  rendezvous  at  Medford,  a 
small  town  four  or  five  miles  from  Boston.  About 
twelve  hundred  men  obeyed  his  call,  although 
some  of  these  returned  home  on  discovering  that 
the  pursuit  of  military  glory  was  not  without  its 
attendant  danger.  These  men  were  formed  into 
two  regiments,  and  Stark  received  his  commission 
as  Colonel  of  what  was  known  as  the  First  New 
Hampshire. ,  This  regiment  served  with  consider 
able  credit  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  more 
properly  Breed's  Hill,  where  they  occupied  a  po 
sition  on  the  left  wing  of  the  American  lines  of 
defence.  They  came  out  of  the  action  with  a  loss 
of  sixty  in  killed  and  wounded. 

Colonel  Stark  and  his  men  followed  the  fortunes 
of  the  army  until  the  time  of  the  regimental  en 
listment  had  expired.  He  succeeded,  however,  in 


26  The  Battle  of  Bennington. 

getting  them  to  remain  for  a  brief  period,  and  has 
tened  himself  to  New  Hampshire,  to  recruit  others 
for  the  service.  It  was  while  engaged  in  this 
laudable  enterprise,  that  the  news  came  to  him 
of  the  omission  of  his  name  on  the  new  promotion 
list.  Disappointed  and  almost  angry,  he  sent  in 
his  resignation,  and  returned  to  his  farm,  to  fol 
low  the  avocations  of  a  peaceful  life.  His  letter 
addressed  to  the  New  Hampshire  Council,  fully 
expresses  his  feelings  at  that  time. 

"  To  the  Hontfl  the  Council  and  House  of  Rcprc- 
"  sentatives  for  the  State  of  New  Hampshire  in 
"  General  Court  assembled" 

"  Ever  since  hostilities  commenced,  I  have  as 
"  in  me  lay,  endeavoured  to  prevent  my  Country 
"  from  being  ravaged  and  enslaved  by  our  cruel 
"and  unnatural  Enemy,  have  undergone  the  hard- 
"  ships  and  fatigues  of  two  campaigns  with  cheer 
fulness  and  alacrity,  ever  enjoying  the  pleasing 
"satisfaction  that  I  was  doing  my  God  and  my 
"country  the  greatest  service  my  abilities  would 
"  admit  of,  and  it  was  with  the  utmost  gratitude 
"  that  I  accepted  the  important  command  to  which 
"  this  State  appointed  me.  I  should  have  served 
"with  the  greatest  pleasure,  more  especially  at 
"  this  important  crisis,  when  our  Country  calls  for 
"  the  utmost  exertions  of  every  American,  but  am 
"  extremely  grieved  that  I  feel  bound  in  honor  to 
"leave  the  service,  Congress  having  thought  fit 
"to  promote  junior  officers  over  my  head,  so  that 
"  I  should  show  myself  unworthy  the  honor  con 
ferred  on  me,  and  a  want  of  that  spirit  which 
"should  glow  in  the  breast  of  every  officer  ap- 


The  Battle  of  Bennington.  27 

"  pointed  by  this  Honorable  House,  in  not  suita 
bly  resenting  an  indignity.  I  must,  (though 
"grieved  to  leave  the  service  of  my  Country,)  beg 
"  leave  to  resign  my  commission,  hoping  that  you 
"  will  make  a  choice  of  some  gentleman  who  may 
"honor  the  cause  and  his  country  to  succeed. 
"  Your  most  obedient 

"and  much  obliged  humble  servant, 
"JOHN  STARK." 

The  Council  passed  the  following  vote,  March 
2ist,  1777. 

"  Voted,  that  the  thanks  of  both  houses  in  the 
"convention,  be  given  to  Col.  Stark,  for  his  good 
"services  in  the  present  war,  and  from  his  early 
"and  steadfast  attachments  to  the  cause  of  his 
"country,  they  make  not  the  least  doubt  that  his 
"future  conduct  in  whatever  state  of  life  Provi- 
"dence  may  place  him,  will  manifest  the  same  no- 
"ble  disposition  of  mind." 

In  response  to  Vermont's  call  for  aid,  the  As 
sembly  of  New  Hampshire  formed  the  whole 
State  Militia  into  two  brigades,  giving  the  com 
mand  of  the  first  to  William  Whipple,  and  of  the 
second  to  John  Stark.  In  accepting  this  com 
mand,  Stark  had  hesitated,  still  smarting  under 
the  neglect  of  the  Continental  Congress.  Upon 
being  assured  that  his  name  was  a  power  in  itself 
among  the  soldiers,  and  above  all,  upon  being 
urged  to  accept  as  a  duty  he  owed  to  his  coun 
try,  he  could  no  longer  resist  the  offer.  He  ac 
cepted,  however,  on  the  condition  that  he  should 
not  be  responsible  to  the  Continental  Congress, 


28  The  Battle  of  Bennington. 

nor  to  any  officers  acting  under  that  honorable 
body,  but  to  only  the  New  Hampshire  Assembly. 
His  terms  were  readily  agreed  to,  and  he  went  at 
once  to  work. 

"STATE  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE, 

"Saturday,  July  iqt/i,  1777. 
"To  Brigd  Gen1  Jn°  Stark,  —  You  are  hereby 
"  required  to  repair  to  Charlestown,  No.  4,  so  as 
"to  be  there  by  the  24th --Thursday  next,  to 
"  meet  and  confer  with  persons  appointed  by  the 
"  Convention  of  the  State  of  Vermont,  relative  to 
"  the  route  of  the  Troops  under  your  Command, 
"their  being  supplied  with  Provisions,  and  future 
"operations  —  and  when  the  Troops  are  collected 
"at  No.  4,  you  are  to  take  the  command  of  them 
"and  march  into  the  State  of  Vermont,  and  there 
"act  in  conjunction  with  the  Troops  of  that  State, 
"or  any  other  of  the  States,  or  of  the  United 
"States,  or  separately,  as  it  shall  appear  Expe 
dient  to  you  for  the  protection  of  the  People  or 
"  the  annoyance  of  the  Enemy,  and  from  time  to 
"time,  as  occasion  shall  require,  send  Intelligence 
"  to  the  Gen1  Assembly  or  Committee  of  Safety, 
"of  your  operations,  and  the  manoeuvres  of  the 
"Enemy.  "  M.  WEARE." 

Col.  Warner,  now  stationed  at  Manchester,  was 
using  his  every  exertion  to  collect  troops  for  im 
mediate  service.  In  his  circular  for  aid,  issued 
to  the  commanders  of  the  militia  in  Hampshire 
and  Worcester  Counties  in  Massachusetts,  he 
says,  "  The  number  of  Troops  we  have  at  present 
"collected,  don't  exceed  500,  and  unless  we  have 
"speedy  help,  (should  the  enemy  approach,)  we 


•T/ie  Battle  of  Bcnnington.  29 

u  must  be  obliged  to  retreat  before  them,  and  leave 
"  them  to  possess  a  great  part  of  what  we  have. 
"  You  may  conclude  the  Frontiers  will  be  where 
"there  is  a  Body  of  Troops  sufficient  to  stand  the 
"ememy.  All  are  desired  to  bring  Kettles  and 
"utensils  for  Cooking."  To  Stark,  from  the  same 
place,  he  wrote:  "I  can,  by  no  means,  be  able 
"to  make  a  stand,  without  assistance.  It  is  there 
fore,  of  the  most  pressing  importance,  that  your 
"  troops  be  forwarded  to  this  place  with  as  much 
"expedition  as  possible,  .  .  .  The  Council  of 
:"  Safety  of  this  State  are  present,  and  join  me  in 
u  urging  the  necessity  of  your  speedy  assistance." 
General  Stark,  agreeably  to  the  orders  of  the 
Assembly,  had  stationed  himself  at  No.  4,  and  in 
response  to  Colonel  Warner's  request,  had  on  the 
28th  of  July,  sent  a  body  of  men  numbering  two 
hundred  and  fifty,  to  his  aid,  and  again  on  the  3Oth 
another  detachment,  at  the  same  time  promising 
more  as  they  came  in.  He  remained  at  this  place 
until  August  3rd,  then  leaving  for  Manchester. 
August  6th,  he  arrived  in  Bromley,  now  known  as 
Peru,  and  on  the  next  day  he  reached  the  head 
quarters  of  Warner  at  Manchester.  The  number 
of  troops  he  had  forwarded,  amounted,  altogether, 
to  eight  hundred  men,  and  he  found  assembled  at 
Manchester,  about  six  hundred  more,  making  uni 
tedly,  fourteen  hundred.  Brigadier-General  Stark 
was  met  here  by  Maj.-Gen.  Lincoln,  with  instruc 
tions  for  him  to  join  the  main  force  of  the  Amer 
icans  under  Schuyler,  on  the  Hudson.  This  Stark 


30  The  Battle  of  Bennington. 

positively  refused  to  do,  on  the  grounds  that  the 
best  way  to  defeat  Burgoyne's  purpose,  was  not  to 
oppose  him  with  small  forces  in  the  front,  but  to 
hang  upon  his  rear,  and  by  continually  cutting  off 
his  supplies,  so  embarrass  his  movements,  as  to 
finally  disarrange  his  plans.  General  Lincoln 
communicated  what  he  deemed  to  be  Stark's  in 
subordination,  to  his  superior,  General  Schuyler, 
and  also  to  Congress.  Stark  had  shown  under 
what  authority  he  was  acting ;  endeavored  to  ex 
plain  that  as  he  was  working  for  the  State  of  New 
Hampshire,  and  that  State  alone;  that  he  could 
not  possibly  consider  himself  responsible  to  the 
United  States,  and  more  especially  as  his  com 
mission  expressly  stated  that  his  responsibility 
went  no  farther  than  that,  he  deemed  himself  as 
inferior  in  command  to  no  military  officer.  He 
should  be  very  glad,  he  said,  to  confer  with  Gen 
eral  Schuyler  as  to  the  best  way  to  meet  the  ene 
my;  possibly  something,  better  than  had  as  yet 
been  suggested,  might  be  done,  but,  he  continued, 
I  never  can  join  General  Schuyler  to  act  as  a  sub 
ordinate.  The  result  of  this  was,  that  on  the 
igth  of  August,  three  days  after  the  battle  of  Ben- 
nington,  and  some  time  before  they  heard  of  it, 
Congress  voted,  "  that  a  copy  of  General  Lincoln's 
"  letter  be  forthwith  transmitted  to  the  Council  of 
"  New  Hampshire,  and  that  they  be  informed  that 
"the  instructions,  which  General  Stark  says  he 
"  received  from  them,  are  destructive  of  military 
"  subordination,  and  highly  prejudicial  to  the  com- 


The  Battle  of  Bennington.  3 1 

"  mon  cause  at  this  crisis ;  and  that  therefore  they 
"be  desired  to  instruct  General  Stark  to  conform 
"himself  to  the  same  rules,  which  other  General 
"officers  of  the  militia  are  subject  to,  whenever 
"they  are  called  out  at  the  expense  of  the  United 
"States." 

Stark,  with  ten  or  twelve  hundred  men,  reached 
Bennington,  August  Qth.  This  force  consisted 
partly  of  New  Hampshire,  and  partly  of  Vermont 
troops,  the  militia  from  the  eastern  side  of  the 
mountains,  being  under  the  command  of  Colonel 
William  Williams.  The  only  force  left  at  Man 
chester,  was  Warner's  regiment  under  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Samuel  Safford.  Warner,  himself,  had 
deemed  it  for  the  best  to  go  forward  with  Stark, 
as  his  knowledge  of  the  country  around  Benning 
ton,  might  be  of  valuable  assistance  to  him,  and  in 
deed,  so  it  proved. 

The  activity  of  the  Council  of  Safety  could  not 
fail  to  instil  a  certain  degree  of  enthusiasm  in  the 
minds  of  all  interested  in  the  loyal  cause  of  the 
Americans.  Every  day  witnessed  the  arrival  of 
new  recruits  in  Bennington,  and  although  many 
came  unarmed  and  even  unprovided  with  camp 
utensils,  these  deficiences  were  supplied  as  far  as 
lay  in  the  power  of  the  Council.  Uniforms  were 
entirely  unknown  in  the  ranks  of  the  volunteers. 
Each  one  suited  his  own  taste  and  ability  in  cloth 
ing  himself,  and  these  generally  resulted  in  the 
simple  farmer's  frock  and  pantaloons.  Each  one, 
also,  was  expected  to  furnish  his  own  firearms, 


32  The  Battle  of  Bennington. 

which  was  readily  done,  as  every  man  in  those 
days,  deemed  a  gun  as  one  of  the  first  implements 
of  necessity.  Cooking  utensils  were  what  were 
lacking  most  in  the  camp  at  Bennington.  The 
little  experience  of  the  militia  in  camp  life,  had 
not,  as  yet,  taught  them  the  use  of  these  articles, 
and  so  in  leaving  home  they  had  been  overlooked 
and  forgotten.  It  may  be,  some  thought  of  them, 
but  deemed  them  as  too  much  of  a  luxury  to  be 
troubled  with  their  transportation  over  the  moun 
tains  and  along  the  dusty  roads. 

Cattle  and  provisions  for  the  army  were  daily 
arriving,  These  were  seized  from  the  tories,  or 
purchased  with  the  money  seized  goods  brought 
under  the  process  of  a  forced  sale.  The  Council 
had  rightly  deemed  the  property  of  disaffected 
persons  as  the  proper  source  of  support,  as  far  as 
it  might  go,  of  the  militia,  and  accordingly  com 
mittees  were  appointed  to  turn  such  property  into 
a  state  for  immediate  use. 

Commission  of  Sequestration  from  the  Council* 

"  In  Council  of  Safety,  State  of  Vermont. 
"Bennington,  28th  July,  1777. 

"  To — :  You  are  hereby  required,  (agree- 

"  able  to  a  previous  resolve  of  this  Council,)  to 
"seize  all  lands,  tenements,  goods,  and  chattels, 
"of  any  person  or  persons  in  this  state,  whom  you 
"know,  or  may  hereafter  learn,  to  have  repaired 
"to  the  enemy,  and  a  true  inventory  thereof  to 
"  take,  and  return  to  this  Council,  except  articles 
"as  are  wanted  for  the  use  of  the  army  ;  which 


The  Battle  of  Bennington*  33 

<c  are  wanted  at  Manchester  or  elsewhere,  where 
"  there  is  a  contractor  to  receive  and  pay  for  them. 
"  You  will  appoint  three  persons  noted  for  good 
"judgment,  who  are,  after  being  duly  sworn,  to 
"  apprize  the  same  ;  and  all  other  movable  effects 
"you  are  to  sell  at  public  vendue,  except  such 
"  necessaries  as  humanity  requires  for  the  support 
"of  such  families.  And  after  paying  necessary 
"  charges,  you  are  to  remit  the  remainder  of  the 
"  money  to  this  Council  You  will  take  the  nat- 
"  ural  and  artificial  marks  of  every  creature  you 
"  shall  receive  or  take,  and  their  age,  from  whom 
"they  came,  for  what  sold,  and  to  whom  sold. 
"  You  are  to  lease  out  all  such  lands  and  tene- 
"ments,  at  a  reasonable  price,  not  exceeding  two 
"years,  giving  the  preference  to  such  persons  as 
u  have  been  drove  from  their  farms  by  this  war. 
"  You  are  further  authorized  to  arrest  any  person, 
"or  persons,  you  shall  have  sufficient  grounds  to 
"  believe  are  enemies  to  this  and  the  United  States 
"  of  America,  and  all  such  persons  as  you  shall 
"  arrest,  you  will  seize  all  their  movable  effects, 
"  (where  there  is  danger  of  their  being  embezzled,) 
"and  keep  in  safe  custody,  until  after  trial.  If 
"  they  are  acquitted,  to  give  unto  such  person  or 
"persons,  such  seizour;  but  if  found  guilty,  to 
"make  return  to  the  Council.  You  are  to  call 
"  to  your  assistance,  such  person  or  persons  as  you 
"  shall  find  necessary,  keeping  regular  accounts  of 
"all  your  procedures." 

"  By  Order  of  Council, 

"  IRA  ALLEN,  Sec'y? 

This  resolution  of  the  Council  was  obeyed  to 
the  letter.  The  ones  appointed  to  act  as  commis 
sioners,  were  chosen  for  their  upright  patriotism, 


34  The  Battle  of  Bennington. 

and  well-known  enthusiasm,  and  in  executing  the 
laws  of  the  civil  authority,  they  often  took  an  un 
usual  pleasure  as  they  came  in  contact  with  those 
neighbors  and  formerly  friends,  separated  by  opin 
ions,  a  separation  often  bitter  in  the  extreme. 

Thus  it  was  that  Colonel  Samuel  Herrick's  reg 
iment  of  Rangers  was  raised  and  supported,  and 
thus  it  was  that  the  other  incidental  expenses  of 
the  common  defense  were  met  in  Vermont.  In 
New  Hampshire,  the  forces  called  out  to  serve 
under  Stark  and  Whipple,  were  supported  by 
private  loans,  for  the  public  treasury  was  long 
since  empty.  John  Langdon,  a  merchant  of 
Portsmouth,  and  Speaker  of  the  Assembly,  was 
among  the  foremost  in  reviving  the  public  courage, 
at  a  time  when  the  outlook  for  the  future  looked 
anything  but  bright  and  promising.  He  said,  "  I 
"  have  three  thousand  dollars  in  hard  money ;  I 
"  will  pledge  my  plate  for  three  thousand  more ; 
"  I  have  seventy  hogsheads  of  Tobago  rum,  which 
"shall  be  sold  for  the  most  it  will  bring.  These 
"  are  at  the  service  of  the  state.  If  we  succeed  in 
"  defending  our  firesides  and  homes,  I  may  be  re- 
"  munerated ;  if  we  do  not,  the  property  will  be  of 
"no  value  to  me.  Our  old  friend,  Stark,  who  so 
"  nobly  maintained  the  honor  of  our  state,  at  Bun- 
"ker's  Hill,  may  safely  be  intrusted  with  the  con- 
"duct  of  the  enterprise,  and  we  will  check  the 
"  progress  of  Burgoyne."  This  proposition  infused 
new  life  into  the  Assembly,  and  no  trouble  was 
experienced  in  raising  the  two  brigades. 


The  Battle  of  Bennington.  35 

Stark,  on  arriving  in  Bennington,  hardly  knew 
whether  to  remain  there,  or  proceed  at  once  to  the 
Hudson  to  oppose  Burgoyne  in  his  southward 
career.  It  was  not  until  the  I3th,  that  he,  learn 
ing  of  the  advance  of  a  body  of  Indians,  as  far  as 
Cambridge,  dispatched  Lieut.-Col.  Gregg,  with 
two  hundred  men,  to  oppose  them.  On  the  morn 
ing  of  the  I4th,  Colonel  Baum  reached  Van 
Schaik's  mills,  and  found  there  Colonel  Gregg's 
force  in  possession.  Gregg  was  forced  to  retreat 
before  a  superior  number.  Baum,  in  his  letter  to 
Burgoyne,  thus  relates  the  affair. 

"SANCOIK,  Aug.  14,  1777,  9  o'clock." 

"  SIR  :  I  have  the  honor  to  inform  your  Excel- 
"  lency  that  I  arrived  here  at  eight  in  the  morning, 
"  having  had  intelligence  of  a  party  of  the  enemy 
"being  in  the  possession  of  a  mill,  which  they 
"  abandoned  at  our  approach,  but  in  their  usual 
"  way,  fired  from  the  bushes,  and  took  the  road  to 
"  Bennington.  A  savage  was  slightly  wounded. 
"  They  broke  down  the  bridge,  which  has  retarded 
"  our  march  about  an  hour.  They  left  in  the  mill, 
"  about  seventy-eight  barrels  of  very  fine  flour,  one 
"thousand  bushels  of  wheat,  twenty  barrels  of 
"salt,  and  about  one  thousand  pounds  worth  of 
"  pearl  and  pot  ashes.  I  have  ordered  thirty  pro- 
"vincials  and  an  officer  to  guard  the  provisions 
"  and  the  pass  of  the  bridge.  By  five  prisoners 
"  here,  they  agree  that  fifteen  hundred  to  eighteen 
"hundred  men  are  in  Bennington,  but  are  sup- 
"  posed  to  leave  it  on  our  approach.  I  will  proceed 
"  so  far  to-day,  as  to  fall  on  the  enemy  to-morrow 
"early,  and  make  such  disposition  as  I  think  nee- 


36  The  Battle  of  Bennington. 

"  essary,  from  the  intelligence  I  may  receive.  Peo 
"ple  are  flocking  in  hourly,  and  want  to  be  armed. 
'  The  savages  cannot  be  controlled,  they  ruin  and 
"  take  everything  they  please 

"I  am,  etc.,  "  F.  BAUM." 

"To  GENERAL  BURGOYNE." 

"  Beg  your  Excellency  to  pardon  the  hurry  of 
"  this  letter;  it  is  written  on  the  head  of  a  barrel." 

The  Council  of  Safety,  on  learning  of  Baum's 
approach,  addressed  the  Colonels  of  the  state  mili 
tia  a  circular,  urging  them  to  assemble  with  all 
haste  at  Bennington. 

Vermont  Council  of  Safety  to  the  Colonels  of  the 

State  Militia. 

"  State  of  Vermont,  in  Council  of  Safety." 
"Bennington,  i3th  Aug.,  1777. 

"  Dear  Col. — By  Express,  this  day,  received  from 
"  the  Commanding  officer  of  the  Northern  De- 
"  partment,  we  Learn  that  a  Door  has  now  opened 
"for  the  Troops  of  this  State  to  do  Duty  on  this 
"  side  the  North  River,  which  will  be  clear  from 
"  Gen.  Schuyler's  Command,  and  as  an  Expedition 
"  is  on  foot,  of  the  greatest  importance,  which  is 
"  to  remain  a  secret  till  the  Troops  are  Collected, 
"these  are  therefore  the  most  Positive  terms  to 
"  require  you,  without  a  moment's  Loss  of  Time, 
"  to  march  one  half  of  the  Regiment  under  your 
"  Command,  to  this  Place.  No  small  excuse  at 
"this  Juncture  can  be  received. 

"  Whilst  I  am  writing  this,  we  are  informed  by 
"  Express,  that  a  Large  Body  of  the  Enemy's  troops 
"were  discovered  two  hours  ago,  in  St.  Koik,  12 
"  miles  from  this  Place,  and  another  Body  at  Cam- 


Tke  Battle  of  Bcnnington.  37 

"bridge,  About  18  miles  from  this,  that  they 
"marched  Boldly  in  the  Road,  and  there  will 
"  Doubtless,  be  an  Attack  at  or  near  this  place, 
"within  24  howers.  We  have  the  assistance  of 
"  Maj. -general  Stark  with  his  Brigade.  You  will 
"  hurry  what  Rangers  forward  are  Recruted,  with 
"  all  speed.  Now  is  the  Time,  Sr. 

I  am,  Sr,  your  Humble  Servant. 

"  Sr,  I  Desire  you  would,  By  order  of  Council, 
"  Send  this  Express  to  General  Baley,  Peter  Ol- 
"cott,  Col,  Col°.  Marsh. 

JONAS  FAY,  Vice  President. 
"To  MAJ.  ISRAEL  SMITH,  OF  STRAFFORD." 

Although  the  Americans  under  Gregg  had  re 
treated  and  left  Baum  in  full  possession  of  the 
field  at  Sancoik,  yet  that  officer  began  to  lose 
that  easy  confidence  and  egotistical  self-assurance 
he  had  formerly  experienced.  Trained  in  the 
military  school  of  Burgoyne,  he  had  learned  to 
look  down  on  the  sturdy  farmers  of  New  York, 
and  the  New  England  States,  regarding  them  as 
extremely  rustic  in  all  that  pertained  to  military 
knowledge  and  experience.  And  yet  Baum,  while 
he  held  in  contempt  the  Americans  as  soldiers,  had 
the  simplicity  to  believe  in  their  general  loyalty  to 
King  George,  proving  again  the  thoroughness  of 
Burgoyne's  teaching.  He  allowed  the  people  to 
go  and  come  to  and  from  his  camp,  readily  believ 
ing  their  professions  of  smypathy  with  the  royal 
cause,  and  imparting  to  them  most  fully  and  com 
pletely  all  information  as  to  his  strength  and  de 
signs.  This  course,  it  seems,  did  not  meet  with 


38  The  Battle  of  Bennington. 

the  approval  of  his  subordinates.  They  believed 
he  was  wrong  in  trusting  to  the  country  people  to 
such  an  extent  as  he  had  done.  They  believed, 
many  of  them,  that  concealed  beneath  the  plain 
manners  and  open  countenances  of  the  visitors, 
there  was  a  keenness  and  avidity  in  collecting  facts, 
and  that  under  the  guise  of  simple  questions  and 
a  careless  listening  to  the  answers,  valuable  in 
formation  was  being  intentionally  sought  for  and 
too  readily  obtained.  These  simple  inquirers 
might  be  earnest  and  thoughtful  ones !  One  of 
his  own  officers,  in  his  account  of  the  expedition, 
says  of  Baum,  "  He  considered  all  persons  sincere 
who  professed  attachment  to  the  royal  cause ;  al 
luding  in  their  presence,  and  without  reserve,  both 
to  his  own  numbers  and  designs ;  and  as  by  far 
the  greater  portion  were  in  reality  traitors  to  us, 
every  circumstance  connected  with  our  disposi 
tions  and  plans  became  as  well  known  to  the 
enemy  as  to  ourselves." 

As  Gregg  retreated  from  Sancoik,  he  caused 
the  bridge  to  be  destroyed,  which  so  delayed 
Baum,  who  had  started  in  pursuit,  that  his  force 
retired  unmolested.  "  The  Americans,"  says  Click, 
"  though  they  gave  way  at  last,  fought  like  men 
conscious  of  their  own  prowess,  and  confident  of 
the  strength  of  the  support  which  was  behind 
them ;  and  this,  coupled  with  the  rumors  which 
had  reached  us  relative  to  the  amount  of  the  gar 
rison  at  Bennington,  failed  not  to  startle  both  Col. 
Baum  and  the  boldest  of  his  troops."  So  much 


The  Battle  of  Bennington.  39 

time  was  occupied  in  repairing  the  bridge,  that 
Baum  despaired  of  reaching  Bennington  that 
night,  and  so  he  encamped  but  a  few  miles  from 
Sancoik,  at  Walloomsac. 

Stark,  on  the  night  of  the  i3th,  having  learned 
more  completely  as  to  the  opposition  Col.  Gregg 
was  to  meet  with,  determined  to  march  with  what 
force  could  be  immediately  commanded,  to  his 
assistance.  On  the  morning  of  the  izj-th,  he  ral 
lied  his  brigade  and  what  militia  was  at  Benning 
ton  and  in  the  neighborhood;  sent  to  Manches 
ter  for  the  remnant  of  Warren's  regiment ;  left 
definite  orders  for  such  volunteers  as  should  come 
in,  to  join  him  at  once,  and  then  marched  to  meet 
the  enemy.  Some  five  or  six  miles  on  the  way  he 
met  Col.  Gregg  retreating  before  Baum.  Here 
Stark  drew  up  his  line  of  battle,  expecting  natural 
ly  enough,  to  be  attacked;  but  Baum  preferred  to 
halt  on  a  hill  or  advantageous  rise  of  ground,  and 
then  Stark  retired  a  mile  or  two  to  develop  more 
mature  plans.  Before  doing  so,  however,  he  killed 
or  wounded  thirty  of  the  enemy  without  the  loss 
of  a  single  man.  After  halting,  this  the  second 
time,  a  council  was  called,  and  it  was  agreed  to 
attack  the  enemy  on  the  following  day,  but  on  the 
i.  5th  it  rained,  so  that  nothing  more  was  accom 
plished,  otherwise  than  a  few  skirmishes.  Baum 
occupied  the  day  in  strengthening  his  defenses 
on  the  heights  of  the  Walloomsac. 

The  farm  of  Walloomsac  lay  upon  both  sides 
of  the  river,  and  consisting  at  that  time  of  farm. 


40  Tke  Battle  of  Benningtcn. 

buildings  to  the  extent  of  six  or  eight  log  huts, 
scattered  here  and  there  over  a  narrow  expanse 
of  cultivated  ground.  The  position  chosen  by 
Baum  lay  at  the  west  of  the  river,  on  an  elevation 
admirably  adapted  for  a  vigorous  defense.  Here 
he  stationed  the  dragoons  with  a  portion  of  the 
workmen  on  the  right  in  the  rear  of  a  little  zig 
zag  breastwork  composed  of  logs  and  loose  earth. 
Such  of  the  log  huts  as  came  within  his  lines  he 
filled  with  Canadians,  supporting  them  with  chas 
seurs  and  grenadiers,  also  entrenched  behind 
breastworks.  Baum's  whole  force,  with  the  ex 
ception  of  about  one  hundred  men,  \vere  on  the 
west  side  of  the  river.  The  road  in  his  flank  was 
held  by  the  Indians.  According  to  the  map  of 
Lieutenant  Durnford,  Colonel  Baum's  engineer, 
a  corps  of  Reidesel's  dragoons  and  a  number  of 
Canadian  Rangers  were  stationed  behind  the 
breastworks ;  some  paces  in  advance  a  little  down 
the  declivity  towards  the  river  was  another  corps 
of  Reidesel's  dragoons ;  still  further  down,  at  the 
foot  of  the  hill  near  the  bend  of  the  river,  a  body 
of  chasseurs;  by  the  river,  to  the  right,  near  the 
bridge  and  on  both  sides  of  the  road,  miner  for 
tifications  defended  by  Canadian  Rangers  and  Ger 
man  Grenadiers ;  nearly  south  of  the  principal  for 
tifications,  another  body  of  Grenadier  and  Tories; 
and  over  the  river,  on  a  little  rise  of  ground,  still 
other  fortifications  defended  by  tories  under  the 
immediate  command  of  Col.  Pfister,  as  he  was 
popularly  known,  a  retired  British  Lieutenant  of 


The  Battle  of  Bennington.  41 

the  French  War.  This  position  was  nearly  south 
east  of  Baum's  principal  line  of  defense,  which  was 
situated  on  the  top  of  a  hill  rising  three  or  four 
hundred  feet  above  the  Walloomsac,  which  flows 
here  nearly  south.  The  road  from  Bennington 
to  Cambridge,  runs,  after  crossing  the  river  at 
right  angles,  nearly  westward,  touching  the  base 
of  the  hill. 

Baum  occupied  the  entire  day  of  the  i5th  in 
completing  the  defenses,  nor  was  his  work  finished 
with  the  setting  of  the  sun,  but  lasted  far  into  the 
night.  He  had  become  really  anxious  as  to  the 
results  of  the  morrow,  and  this  anxiety  was  shared 
very  generally  throughout  his  whole  camp.  "  There 
we  passed  the  night,"  says  Click,  "not  very  com 
fortably,  as  may  well  be  supposed,  seeing  that  no 
fires  were  lighted,  and  that  we  were  all  impressed 
with  a  powerful  sense  of  impending  clanger.  .  .  . 
There  were  few  amongst  us  that  slept  very  sound 
ly.  We  could  not  but  remember  that  we  were 
cut  off,  by  a  wide  tract  of  desolate  country,  from 
all  communications  with  our  friends,  and  exposed 
to. attacks  on  every  side  from  a  numerous  enemy; 
and  the  whoop  which  the  savages  raised  from 
time  to  time,  as  well  as  the  occasional  musket 
shot,  gave  notice,  that  even  now  that  enemy  was 
not  inactive.  Our  anxiety  for  the  return  of  day 
was  greater  by  far  than  perhaps  any  of  us  would 
have  been  willing  to  acknowledge,  even  to  his 
dearest  friend."  Baum,  feeling  the  need  of  rein 
forcements,  dispatched  a  messenger  to  Col.  Brey- 


42  The  Battle  of  Bennington. 

man,  stationed  at  the    Batten  Kill,  asking  that 
officer  to  come  to  his  aid  at  once. 

The  rain  falling  so  heavily  on  the  I5th,  pre 
vented  Stark  from  making  any  general  attack  on 
the  principal  line  of  defense,  but  small  parties 
were  kept  out  actively  skirmishing,  much  to  the 
annoyance  of  the  enemy. '  In  the  meantime,  the 
Council  of  Safety  was  not  idle.  Messengers  were 
dispatched  for  ammunition  to  all  quarters  where 
it  was  likely  to  be  found. 

"STATE  OF  VERMONT, 

Bennington. — In  Council  of  Safety,  A^lg.  15, 1777. 
"SiR  —  You  are  hereby  desired  to  forward  to 
"  this  place,  by  express,  all  the  lead  you  can  pos- 
" sibly  collect  in  your  vicinity;  as  it  is  expected 
"  every  minute,  an  action  will  commence  between 
"  our  troops  and  the  enemies',  within  four  or  five 
"  miles  of  this  place,  and  the  lead  will  be  positive- 
"  ly  wanted.  By  order  of  Council, 

"PAUL  SPOONER,  D.  Secy. 

"The  Chairman  of  the  Committee  of  Safety, 
"  Williamstown. 

"  The  same  request  sent  to  the  Chairman  of  the 
"  Committee,  Lanesboro,  the  same  date,  sent  by 
"  Jedediah  Reed,  Paulett. 

"  Madam — Please  to  send  by  the  bearer,  Jede- 
"  cliah  Reed,  6  or  7  Ibs.  of  lead,  by  CoL  Simonds' 
"  order.  By  order  of  Council, 

"  PAUL  SPOONER,  D.  Secy. 
"MRS.  SIMONDS." 

Before  daylight  on  the  morning  of  the  i6th, 
Stark  was  reinforced  by  a  small  body  of  militia, 


The  Battle  of  Benningtan.  43 

under  Colonel  Simonds  from  Berkshire  county, 
Massachusetts.  Among  them  was  the  Reverend 
Thomas  Allen,  of  Pittsburg,  whose  warlike  ardor 
was  of  the  most  glowing  kind.  He  was  with  Gen. 
St.  Clair  at  the  evacuation  of  Forts  Ticonderoga 
and  Mt.  Independence,  and  always  expressed  a 
great  contempt  for  the  quiet  surrender  of  those 
posts.  He  would  say,  that  had  he  commanded 
there,  the  ramparts,  though  carried  at  last,  would 
have  first  been  baptized  in  blood.  Subsequent 
to  the  battle  of  Bennington,  speaking  of  the  out 
look  for  America's  future,  he  writes,  "A  short 
time  will  decide  the  fate  of  America.  It  must 
depend  on  the  treatment  of  those  five  general 
officers  who  gave  up  Ticonderoga  .....  If  these 
cannot  be  brought  to  justice,  than  I  am  ready  to 
pronounce  what  is,  in  my  opinion,  the  sad  doom 
of  these  States  —  the  end  is  come!"  He  had 
taken  an  active  part  in  rallying  the  Berkshire 
militia  at  the  urgent  call  of  General  Stark,  know 
ing  well  that  where  Stark  was,  there  would  be  at 
least  yff^/fcwg*,  whatever  the  result  might  be. 

It  was  during  a  drenching  shower,  that  this 
force  reached  the  vicinity  of  the  American  camp, 
and  though  wet  to  the  skin,  Mr.  Allen  sought 
the  General's  headquarters. 

"General  Stark,"  said  Allen,  "the  Berkshire 
militia  have  often  been  summoned  to  the  field, 
without  being  allowed  to  fight  ;  now  if  you  don't 
give  them  a  chance  this  time,  they  will  never 


turn  out  again." 


44  The  Battle  of  Bennington. 

Stark  smilingly  asked,  "  Do  you  wish  to  march 
now  while  it  is  dark  and  raining?" 

"  No,  not  just  at  this  moment,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Well,  then,"  said  the  General,  "  if  the  Lord  will 
give  us  sunshine  in  the  morning,  and  I  do  not 
give  you  fighting  enough,  I  will  never  ask  you 
to  come  out  again." 

And  when  the  morning  sun  arose,  hardly  a  cloud 
was  seen  in  the  heavens,  and,  to  use  the  words  of 
Glich,  who  was  present,  "  the  very  leaves  hung  mo- 
"  tionless,  and  the  long  grass  waved  not  under  the 
"  influence  of  a  perfect  calm.  Every  object  around, 
"too,  appeared  to  peculiar  advantage;  for  the 
"  fields  looked  green  and  refreshed,  the  river  was 
"swollen  and  tumultuous,  and  the  branches  were 
"  all  loaded  with  dew-drops,  which  glittered  in  the 
"  sun's  early  rays,  like  so  many  diamonds.  Nor 
"  would  it  be  easy  to  imagine  any  scene  more  rife 
"  with  peaceful  and  even  pastoral  beauty.  Look- 
"  ing  down  from  this  summit  of  the  rising  ground, 
"  I  beheld  immediately  beneath  me  a  wide  sweep  of 
"  stately  forest,  interrupted  at  remote  intervals  by 
"  green  meadows  or  yellow  corn-fields,  whilst  here 
"  and  there  a  cottage,  a  shed,  or  some  other  primi- 
"  tive  edifice,  reared  its  modest  head,  as  if  for  the 
"  purpose  of  reminding  the  spectator,  that  man  had 
"begun  his  inroads  upon  nature,  without  as  yet 
"  taking  away  from  her  simplicity  and  grandeur.  I 
"hardly  recollect  a  scene,  which  struck  me  at  the 
"moment  more  forcibly,  or  which  has  left  a  deeper 
"  or  more  lasting  impression  on  my  memory." 


The  Battle  of  Bennington.  45 

Stark's  exact  force  was  three  New  Hampshire 
regiments  of  militia,  under  the  respective  com 
mands  of  Colonels  Hubbard,  Stickney,  and  Nich 
ols;  a  body  of  militia  under  Colonel  William  Wil 
liams,  from  the  east  side  of  the  mountains  ;  Col 
onel  Herrick's  corps  of  Rangers,  formed  under 
the  authority  of  the  Vermont  Council,  of  Safety ; 
a  body  of  militia  from  Bennington  and  vicinity, 
under  Colonel  Nathaniel  Brush,  of  which  two 
companies,  commanded  by  Captains  Samuel  Rob 
inson  and  Elijah  Dewey,  were  from  Bennington, 
and  the  force  under  Colonel  Simmons  from  Berk 
shire  County,  making  altogether  about  eighteen 
hundred  men. 

The  plan  of  attack  as  agreed  upon  by  Stark 
and  his  officers,  and  which  seems  to  have  been 
carried  out  with  the  greatest  attention  to  detail, 
was  as  follows  : 

Two  hundred  men,  under  Colonel  Nichols,  to 
take  a  wide  circuit  through  the  woods  northward 
of  Baum's  redoubt,  and  gain,  undiscovered,  a  po 
sition  at  the  rear  of  his  left.  Colonel  Herrick's 
Rangers,  together  with  a  part  of  Colonel  Brush's 
militia  from  Bennington  and  vicinity,  in  all,  three 
hundred  men,  to  take  a  wide  circuit  southward, 
gain  a  position  in  the  rear  of  Baum's  right,  and 
these  two  divisions  to  join  and  commence  the  at 
tack.  In  the  mean  time,  in  order  to  draw  the  at 
tention  of  Baum  from  the  concerted  movement  in 
his  rear,  Colonels  Hubbard  and  Stickney  were  to 
assume  a  position  before  the  Tory  breastworks, 


46  The  Battle  of  Bennington. 

situated  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  at  the 
southward,  and  one  hundred  men  to  march  to  the 
front  of  Baum,  to  be  followed  by  Stark,  with  the 
remainder  of  the  American  force,  at  the  proper 
moment. 


THE  BATTLE  —  FIRST  ACTION. 
Stark's  encampment  lay  to  the  eastward  of 
Baum,  the  Walloomsac  flowing  between,  and 
bending  in  such  a  manner  as  to  necessitate  the 
crossing  of  it  twice  in  passing  directly  from  one 
encampment  to  the  other.  Fordable  in  all  places, 


The  Battle  of  Bennington.  47 

this  did  not  inconvenience  Herrick  in  his  south 
erly  circuit  to  gain  Baum's  right,  nor  any  of 
Stark's  troop  in  marching  to  the  front. 

Silas  Walbridge,  a  private  in  Capt.  John  Warn 
er's  (brother  of  Seth  Warner),  company,  a  part  of 
Herrick's  Rangers,  says,1  they  went  from  Stark's 
encampment,  "west  across  the  river,  crossed  it 
"again  below  Sickle's  Mills,  and  came  in  on  the 
"  rear  of  the  Hessian  redoubt."  Just  before  reach 
ing  the  redoubt,  "we  came  in  sight  of  a  party  of 
"  Indians,  and  fired  on  them.  They  retreated  to 
"the  northwest,  leaving  two  killed.  Our  men 
"came  within  ten  or  twelve  rods  of  the  redoubt, 
"and  began  firing  from  behind  logs  and  trees, 
"and  continued  firing  and  advancing  until  the 
"  Hessians  retreated  out  of  their  works,  and  down 
"the  hill  to  the  south.  We  followed  on  down 
"the  hill  to  the  level  land  on  the  river,  and  some 
"pursued  on  further."  Jessie  Field,  who  was  in 
Capt.  Dewey's  company,  which  went  with  Her 
rick's  Rangers,  says,1  "  When  we  came  in  sight 
"of  the  enemy's  works,  we  halted,  and  it  seemed 
"  that  the  rear  of  our  party  had  been  detained  for 
"  some  cause.  We  stood  but  a  short  time,  when 
"the  firing  commenced  from  the  party  on  the 

"  north.     I  recollect  hearing  Lieut. exclaim, 

"'  My  God,  what  are  we  doing  ?  They  are  killing 
"our  brothers ;  why  are  we  not  ordered  to  fire  ?' 
"  In  a  moment  our  adjutant  came  up  and  ordered 
"  us  to  advance.  We  pressed  forward,  and  as  the 

*  In  a  MSS.  communication  to  Hon.  Hiland  Hall. 


48  The  Battle  of  Bennington. 

"  Hessians  rose  above  their  works  to  fire,  we  dis 
charged  our  pieces  at  them." 

After  Col.  Nichols  had  gone  some  little  distance, 
he  sent  back  to  General  Stark  for  a  reinforcement 
of  one  hundred  men,  which  were  supplied  him. 

While  Colonels  Herrick  and  Nichols  were 
marching  to  the  rear  of  the  right  and  left  of  Baum, 
Stark  was  occupied  in  diverting  the  attention  of 
the  Hessians  from  that  movement.  "  We  were 
"  marched,"  says  Thomas  Mellen,1  of  Colonel 
Stickney's  New  Hampshire  regiment,  "  round  and 
"round  a  circular  hill,  till  we  were  tired.  Stark 
"said  it  was  to  amuse  the  Germans.  All  the 
"while  a  cannonade  was  kept  up  from  their  breast- 
"work.  It  hurt  nobody,  and  it  lessened  our  fear 
"of  the  great  guns.  After  a  while,  I  was  sent 
"with  twelve  others,  to  lie  in  ambush  on  a  knoll, 
"  a  little  north,  and  watch  for  tories  on  their  way 
"to  join  Baum.  Presently  we  saw  six  coming 
"towards  us,  who,  mistaking  us  for  tories,  came 
"too  near  us  to  escape.  We  disarmed  them,  and 
"sent  them,  under  a  guard  of  three,  to  Stark. 
"While  I  sat  on  the  hillock,  I  espied  an  Indian, 
"whom  I  thought  I  could  kill,  and  more  than 
"once  cocked  my  gun,  but  our  orders  were  not  to 
"  fire.  He  was  cooking  his  dinner,  and  now  and 
"then  shot  at  some  of  our  people." 

Stark's  stratagem  was  completely  successful  in 
deceiving  Baum  himself,  although  not  so  his 
whole  camp.  Glick,  in  his  account,  remarks,  — 

i  In  an  oral  statement  to  Rev.  James  D.  Butler. 


The  Battle  of  Bennington.  49 

"  Scouts  came  in  to  report  that  columns  of  armed 
"men  were  approaching;  though  whether  with 
"friendly  or  hostile  intention,  neither  their  ap- 
"  pearance  nor  actions  enabled  our  informants  to 
"ascertain.  It  has  been  stated,  that  during  the 
"last  day's  march  our  little  corps  was  joined  by 
"many  of  the  country  people;  most  of  whom  de- 
"  manded  and  obtained  arms,  as  persons  friendly 
"  to  the  royal  cause.  How  Col.  Baum  became  so 
"  completely  duped  as  to  place  reliance  on  these 
"  men  I  know  not ;  but  having  listened  with  com- 
"  placency  to  their  previous  assurances,  that  in 
"  Bennington,  a  large  majority  of  the  populace 
"  were  our  friends,  he  was  somehow  or  other  per- 
"  suaded  to  believe,  that  the  armed  bands,  of  whose 
"approach  he  was  warned,  were  loyalists  on 
"  their  way  to  make  tender  of  their  services  to  the 
"leader  of  the  king's  troops.  Filled  with  this 
"  idea,  he  despatched  positive  orders  to  the  out- 
"  posts,  that  no  molestation  should  be  offered  to 
"  the  advancing  columns :  but  that  the  pickets 
"  retiring  before  them  should  join  the  main  body, 
"where  every  disposition  was  made  to  receive 
"either friend  or  foe.  Unfortunately  for  us,  these 
"orders  were  but  too  faithfully  obeyed.  About 
"half-past  nine  o'clock,  I,  who  was  not  in  the 
"  secret,  beheld,  to  my  utter  amazement,  our  ad- 
"vanced  parties  withdraw  without  firing  a  shot, 
"  from  thickets  which  might  have  been  maintained 
"for  hours  against  any  superiority  of  numbers; 
"  and  the  same  thickets  occupied  by  men  whose 
"  whole  demeanor,  as  well  as  their  dress  and  style 
"  of  equipment,  plainly  and  incontestably  pointed 

"  them  out  as  Americans With  the  solitary 

"  exception  of   our  leader,  there  was  not  a  man 
"  among  us  who  appeared  otherwise  than  satisfied 


50  The  Battle  of  Bennington. 

"  that  those  to  whom  he  had  listened  were  trai- 
"tors  ....  He  saw  no  reason  to  doubt  that  the 
"people,  whose  approach  excited  so  much  appre- 
"  hension,  were  the  same  of  whose  arrival  he  had 
"  been  forewarned ;  and  he  was  prevented  from 
"  placing  himself  entirely  in  their  power,  only  by 
"the  positive  refusal  of  his  followers  to  obey 
"orders." 

Stark  waited  patiently  for  the  expected  signal 
of  attack  from  the  rear,  and  at  three  o'clock  it 
came,  the  scattering  reports  of  firearms  from  the 
direction  of  Nichols  and  Herrick  announcing  that 
they  had  begun  the  attack.  The  welcome  sound 
sent  a  thrill  through  the  American  ranks,  and 
with  wild  hurrahs  thus  followed  their  leader  and 
Warner  to  the  fight.  Before  the  attack,  Stark, 
with  his  sword  pointing  to  the  breastworks,  said, 

MY  MEN,  THOSE  ARE  YOUR  ENEMIES  THE  RED-COATS 
AND  THE  TORIES.  WE  MUST  CONQUER  THEM,  OR 
TO-NIGHT  MOLLIE  STARK  WILL  BE  A  WIDOW  !  Driv 
ing  in  the  tory  out-posts,  they  crossed  the  Wal- 
loomsac  and  rushed  up  the  hill. 

Herrick's  men  had  met  the  Indians  and  driven 
them  in,  in  the  greatest  confusion  and  wildest 
alarm.  Then  came  the  attack  on  the  front.  "We 
were  surrounded  on  all  sides ;  columns  were  ad 
vancing  everywhere  against  us,"  and  Baum  soon 
realized  that  those  whom  he  had  believed  as 
friends  were  fast  turning  into  enemies.  A  loud 
shout  from  Stark's  men  in  front,  in  answer  to 
those  from  the  rear,  and  then  all  on  to  the  onset ! 
The  Indians,  finding  themselves  in  close  quar- 


The  Battle  of  Bennington.  5 1 

ters  and  likely  soon  to  be  in  closer,  if  they  longer 
remained,  beat  a  hasty  retreat,  passing  off  in  single 
file  as  was  customary  with  them,  with  horrid  yells 
and  the  harsh  jingling  of  cow  bells.     No  remon 
strance  of  Baum's  could  induce  them  to  remain. 
The  vacancy  in  the  intrenchments  left  by  them 
was  filled  by  one  of  the  field  pieces,  while  the 
other  was  still  directed  to  the  front.    Baum's  men 
fought  with  the  desperation  of  veterans.    Repeat 
edly  assailed  on  all  sides,  they  maintained  their 
ground,  trusting   that    Brey man's   troops  might 
soon  reinforce  them.    Their  hopes  were  fruitless  ! 
Breyman  came  not ;  yet  they  still  toiled  on,  until 
at  last  the  solitary  tumbril,  which  contained  all  of 
their  spare  ammunition,  become  ignited  and  blew 
up  with  a  violence  that  seemed  to  shake  the  very 
ground  on  which  they  trod.     A  momentary  lull 
in  the  angry  shouts  of  battle,  a  temporary  cessa- 
sion  of  firing,  and  then,  quickly,  cheer  upon  cheer 
from  the  Americans,  as  they  pushed  on  to  victory. 
Rightly  guessing  the  nature  of  the  explosion,  they 
rushed  over  the  parapet  and  hand  to  hand  battled 
with  the  foemen.     "The  bayonet,  the  butt  of  the 
rifle,  the  sabre,  the  pike  were  in  full  play;   and 
men  fell,  as  they  rarely  fall  in  modern  war,  under 
the  direct  blows  of  their  enemies."    Such  a  strug 
gle  could  not  last  long.     Disheartened  and  dis 
couraged,  Baum's  men  began  to  waver.    Many  of 
them  wounded  and  dying,  and  dead,  and  many  of 
them  prisoners,  the  rest  surrendered,  or  sought 
safety  in  flight.    But  few  escaped  to  tell  the  story 


52  The  Battle  of  Bennington. 

of  their  defeat.  Glich,  with  about  thirty  others, 
burst  through  the  American  ranks  where  they 
appeared  to  be  weakest,  and  fled,  finding  a  refuge 
in  the  depths  of  the  forest.  Colonels  Baum  and 
Piaster  were  both  mortally  wounded,  and  were  sep 
arately  borne,  the  latter  a  part  of  the  way  on  the 
back  of  Jonathan  Armstrong,  of  Shaftsbury,  to  a 
house  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  battle-field,  where 
they  both  died  within  twenty-four  hours. 

"  Our  people  behaved  with  the  greatest  spirit 
and  bravery  imaginable,"  says  Stark,  in  his  official 
report  to  the  Council  of  New  Hampshire,  dated 
August  1 8th.  "  Had  they  been  Alexanders,  or 
Charleses  of  Sweden,  they  could  not  have  be 
haved  better.  The  action  lasted  two  hours;  at 
the  expiration  of  which  time  we  forced  their 
breastworks,  at  the  muzzle  of  their  guns."  And 
then  again,  in  his  letter  to  General  Gates,  dated 
at  Bennington,  August  22nd,  he  says,  "It  lasted 
two  hours,  the  hottest  I  ever  saw  in  my  life  —  it 
represented  one  continual  clap  of  thunder ;  how 
ever,  the  enemy  was  obliged  to  give  way,  and 
leave  their  field-pieces  and  all  their  baggage  be 
hind  them."  The  vigor  of  the  Americans  in  their 
attack  is  described  by  a  Hessian  eyewitness :  "The 
Americans  fought  with  desperation,  pressing  with 
in  eight  paces  of  the  loaded  cannon,  to  take  surer 
aim  of  the  artillerists." 

Thus,  for  the  first  time  in  the  American  Revo 
lution,  our  soldiers  stormed  in  a  regular  manner 
the  enemy's  fortifications,  and  as  a  result  their 


The  Battle  of  Bennington.  53 

efforts  were  crowned  with  victory.  It  was  a  vic 
tory  well  earned,  and  one  that  only  valor  and  the 
truest  devotion  to  the  cause  of  Liberty  could  have 
won. 

THE    BATTLE  —  SECOND  ACTION. 

At  eleven  o'clock  at  night,  August  i5th,  Baum 
had  received  a  note  from  Breyman  acquainting 
him  with  his  arrival  in  the  vicinity  of  Cambridge. 
Baum  at  once  replied,  stating  his  need  for  rein 
forcements,  and  urging  him  forward.  Upon  re 
ceiving  this  early  in  the  morning  of  the  i6th, 
Breyman  at  once  started,  but  the  artillery  horses 
being  very  weak,  in  consequence  of  not  having 
been  fed,  as  he  himself  stated,  the  march  pro 
gressed  but  slowly. 

Colonel  Skeene,  the  tory  royalist,  who  had  been 
stationed  in  advance  at  the  St.  Coik  mill,  sent 
back  to  Breyman  for  one  officer  and  twenty  men, 
"as  the  rebels  showed  signs  of  advancing  on  it." 
Instead  of  sending  these,  Breyman  despatched 
Capt.  Gleisenberg  ahead,  with  an  advance  guard, 
consisting  of  sixty  grenadiers  and  chasseurs,  and 
twenty  yagers,  which  he  found  there  undisturbed, 
on  his  arrival,  at  half-past  four  in  the  afternoon. 

Up  to  this  time  Breyman  knew  nothing  of  the 
fate  of  Baum ;  nor  did  Skeene,  although  he  in 
formed  him  that  his  force  was  but  two  miles 
distant.  With  Skeene's  advice,  Breyman  deter 
mined  to  continue  his  march,  and  they  both  set 
out  for  Baum's  encampment. 


54  The  Battle  of  Bennington. 

After  the  battle  of  Hubbardton,  Warner's  reg 
iment,  numbering  but  one  hundred  and  thirty 
men,  was  stationed  at  Manchester,  twenty  miles 
north-east  of  Bennington.  It  will  be  remembered 
that  Stark,  upon  learning  of  the  advance  of  the 
force  under  Baum,  sent  a  dispatch  to  them  which 
reached  its  destination  on  the  I4th.  Warner 
being  absent,  the  command  of  the  regiment  de 
volved  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  Samuel  Safford. 
Safford  would  have  marched  at  once,  but  was 
prevented  from  doing  so  by  the  absence  of  Cap 
tain  John  Chipman  with  a  considerable  force,  who 
had  gone  on  a  scouting  expedition.  On  the  morn 
ing  of  the  1 5th  they  set  out,  and  after  a  long 
and  weary  march,  through  a  drenching  rain,  every 
man  wet  to  the  skin,  arrived  within  a  mile  of  Ben 
nington.  It  was  late  at  night,  nearly  midnight, 
says  one  who  was  with  them,  when  they  reached 
this  place,  and  the  arms  and  ammunition  having 
been  so  long  exposed  to  the  inclement  weather 
that  they  occupied  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
next  day's  forenoon  in  preparing  for  action.  Am 
munition,  too,  was  not  at  all  plenty,  and  this 
might  have  detained  them  a  little  longer.  At  all 
events  it  was  about  noon,  or  a  little  after,  when 
they  marched  through  Bennington  village  on 
their  way  to  the  battle-field. 

Stark,  in  his  order  issued  previous  to  the  first 
action,  had  guaranteed  the  soldiers  whatever  they 
might  capture.  "  I  promised  in  my  order,"  he 
says  in  his  letter  to  Gates,  "that  the  soldiers 


The  Battle  of  Bennington.  55 

should  have  all  the  plunder  taken  in  the  enemy's 
camp,"  and  so  when  the  few  men  Baum  had  left, 
gave  way  and  retreated,  with  the  exception  of 
those  who  surrendered,  many  of  the  Americans 
scattered  over  the  field  in  search  of  desirable 
property,  while  others,  worn  out  and  exhausted, 
sought  the  most  convenient  place  for  rest.  Guards 
had  also  been  dispatched  with  the  prisoners  for 
Bennington,  and  consequently  when  the  word 
came  that  a  fresh  body  of  the  enemy  was  in  the 
immediate  vicinity,  confusion  in  Stark's  ranks 
was  almost  complete.  However,  by  the  combined 
personal  exertions  of  the  officers  a  sufficient  force 
was  mustered  to  make  a  fair  show  of  numbers, 
and  these  were  ordered  into  line  of  battle. 

Breyman  had  now  arrived  in  sight,  and  observ 
ing  a  considerable  body  of  armed  men,  some  in 
blouses  and  some  in  jackets,  hastening  towards 
an  eminence  on  his  left  flank,  called  Colonel  Skin 
ner's  attention  to  it.  That  worthy  royalist  felt 
satisfied  these  were  friends,  and  so  rode  towards 
them,  and  calling  out,  received  for  a  reply  a  vol 
ley  that  quickly  convinced  him  of  his  error.  Brey 
man  then  ordered  one  battalion  to  assail  the 
height,  while  the  yagers  and  grenadiers  advanced 
on  the  right. 

Stark,  almost  discouraged  in  his  attempts  to 
rally  the  troops,  was  pn  the  point  of  ordering  a 
retreat,  when  Warner  rode  forth,  and  exclaimed, 
"  Stand  to  it,  my  lads  :  you  shall  have  help  im- 
"  mediately."  The  enemy  pressed  close,  and  the 


56  The  Battle  of  Bennington. 

Americans  were  on  the  point  of  yielding  ground, 
when  the  news  came  that  Warner's  regiment  was 
close  at  hand.  An  orderly  sergeant,1  who  acted 
in  this  regiment,  thus  relates  their  advance. 

"  We  now  began  to  meet  the  wounded 

"  Here  I  was  put  in  command  of  the  left  flank 
"  guard,  and  the  march  was  continued  by  the  regi- 
"  ment  down  the  road,  and  by  myself  and  guard 
"  across  the  flat.  There  was  also  a  flank  guard 
"on  the  right.  We  continued  our  march  until 
"  we  came  to  the  top  of  the  eminence,  .  .  .  where 
"  I  found  the  regiment  had  halted.  On  inquiring 
"  the  cause,  I  was  told  that  a  reinforcement  of  the 
"  enemy  was  near.  I  mounted  a  fence,  and  saw 
"  the  enemy's  flank  guard  beyond  the  next  hill, 
"  say  half  a  mile  distant.  We  were  then  ordered 
"  to  form  a  line  for  battle,  by  filing  to  the  right ; 
"  but,  owing  to  the  order  not  being  understood  in 
"  the  rear,  the  line  was  formed  by  filing  to  the  left, 
"  which  brought  many  of  our  men  into  a  sort  of 
"swamp,  instead  of  on  the  hill  above,  where  we 
"  should  have  been.  We,  however,  waited  the  ap- 
"  proach  of  the  enemy,  and  commenced  firing  as 
"they  came  up ;  but  owing,  as  I  think,  to  the  un- 
"  favorable  nature  of  the  ground,  we  soon  began 
"  a  retreat,  which  was  continued  slowly  and  in 
"good  order,  firing  constantly  for  about  three- 
"  quarters  of  a  mile,  until  we  reached  the  high 
"  ground,  west  o{  the  run  of  water,  where  we  made 
"  a  stand.  The  enemy  had  two  pieces  of  cannon 
"  in  the  road,  and  their  line  extended  a  considera 
ble  distance  both  below  and  above  the  road.  A 
"party  of  Hessians  undertook  to  outflank  us  on 
"  the  right,  and  partly  succeeded,  but  were  finally 

>  Jacob  Saflford,  in  a  communication  to  Hon.  Hiland  Hall. 


The  Battle  of  Bennington.  5  7 

"  repulsed  and  driven  back.  The  action  was  warm 
"  and  close  for  nearly  two  hours,  when  it  being  near 
"dark,  the  enemy  were  forced  to  retreat. 

Although  Warner's  regiment  arrived  fresh  and 
in  high  spirits,  yet  the  vigorous  attack  of  Breyman 
seemed  at  one  time  to  be  carrying  the  day.  His 
two  pieces  of  cannon,  stationed  advantageously, 
had  continued  a  fire  of  grape  shot,  clearing  away 
for  the  Hessians  to  advance.  Stark  used  the  two 
cannon  taken  from  Baum,  with  considerable  effect, 
restraining  the  enemy,  until  his  own  men  might 
gain  time  to  make  a  solid  defense. 

Breyman's  ammunition  at  last  giving  out,  his 
cannon  ceased  firing,  which  so  encouraged  our 
men,  that  they  rushed  on  with  renewed  life. 
Breyman  endeavored,  in  vain,  to  save  his  field- 
pieces  ;  they  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Americans, 
and  then  the  fortunes  of  the  day  turned.  The 
enemy  retreated  on  every  side,  leaving  their  dead, 
and  many  of  their  wounded  on  the  field.  The 
Americans  pursued,  but  darkness  setting  in,  many 
of  them  escaped.  "  Had  daylight  lasted  one  hour 
"longer,"  says  Stark,  "we  should  have  taken  the 
"whole  body  of  them."  The  struggle  ended  at 
Sancoik  Mill,  Stark  hesitating  to  pursue  farther, 
for  the  fear  of  killing  some  of  his  own  men  in  the 
darkness. 

After  five  hours  of  severe  fighting,  the  Ameri 
cans  were  rewarded  with  victory ;  most  gloriously 
had  the  day  been  won ! 


58  The  Battle  of  Bennington. 

The  Americans  captured  in  this  battle,  four 
brass  field-pieces,  four  ammunition  wagons,  twelve 
brass  barrelled  drums,  seven  hundred  stand  of 
arms,  several  Hessian  swords,  and  a  number  of 
horses,  carriages,  etc.  Six  hundred  and  fifty-four 
prisoners  were  taken,  two  hundred  and  seven 
killed,  and  eighty  wounded,  making  the  enemy's 
total  loss  to  amount  to  nine  hundred  and  forty- 
one  in  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners.  Our  loss, 
according  to  Stark,  "was  inconsiderable;  about 
"forty  wounded,  and  thirty  killed."  Stark  lost 
his  horse,  saddle,  and  bridle,  in  the  action. 

Of  the  cannon  captured,  two  are  now  in  the 
State  House  at  Montpelier. 

One  Hessian  gun  and  bayonet,  one  broadsword, 
one  brass  barrelled  drum,  and  one  grenadier's  cap, 
of  the  captured  trophies,  were  presented  to  each 
of  the  states  of  Vermont,  New  Hampshire,  and 
Massachusetts. 

STARK'S  LETTER   ACCOMPANYING  THE   GIFTS  TO 
MASSACHUSETTS. 

"BENNINGTON,  September  15,  1777. 
"General  Stark  begs  leave  to  present  to  the 
"  State  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay,  and  pray  their 
"acceptance  of  the  same,  one  Hessian  gun  and 
"bayonet,  one  broadsword,  one  brass  barrelled 
"  drum,  and  one  grenadier's  cap,  taken  from  the 
"enemy,  in  the  memorable  battle,  fought  at  Wal- 
"  loomsac,  on  the  1 6th  of  August  last ;  and  requests 
"that  the  same  may  be  kept  in  commemoration 
"  of  that  glorious  victory,  obtained  over  the  enemy 
"that  day,  by  the  united  troops  of  that  State, 


The  Battle  of  Bennington.  59 

"those  of  New  Hampshire,  and  Vermont,  which 
"victory  ought  to  be  kept  in  memory,  and  handed 
"down  to  futurity,  as  a  lasting  and  laudable  ex- 
"  ample  for  the  sons  and  daughters  of  the  victors, 
"in  order  never  to  suffer  themselves  to  become 
"the  prey  of  those  mercenary  tyrants  and  syco- 
"  phants,  who  are  daily  endeavoring  to  ruin  and 
"destroy  us." 

Massachusetts,  in  accepting  the  trophies,  replied 
as  follows : 

"BOSTON,  i2th  of  December,  1777. 

"  SIR, — The  General  Assembly  of  this  state,  take 
"the  earliest  opportunity,  to  acknowledge  the  re- 
"ceipt  of  your  acceptable  present, —  the  tokens  of 
"victory  at  the  memorable  battle  of  Bennington. 

"  The  events  of  that  day  strongly  mark  the 
"bravery  of  the  men,  who,  unskilled  in  war,  forced 
"from  their  intrenchments,  a  chosen  number  of 
"veteran  troops,  of  boasted  Britons  ;  as  well  as 
"  the  address  and  valor  of  the  General,  who  di- 
"rected  their  movements,  and  led  them  on  to  con- 
"  quest.  This  signal  exploit  opened  the  way  to  a 
"rapid  succession  of  advantages,  most  important 
"to  America. 

"  These  trophies  shall  be  safely  deposited  in  the 
"archives  of  the  State,  and  there  remind  posterity 
"  of  the  irresistible  power  of  the  God  of  armies, 
"  and  the  honors  due  to  the  memory  of  the  brave. 

"  Still  attended  with  like  successes,  may  you  long 
"enjoy  the  just  rewards  of  a  grateful  country." 

Vermont's  acknowledgment. 

"  State  of  Vermont,  in  Council  of  Safety, 

"BENNINGTON,  zoth  Sept.  1777. 
"The  Council  beg  leave  to  return  their  sincere 


60  The  Battle  of  Bcnnington. 

"  thanks  to  the  Hon.  Brigadier-Gen.  John  Stark, 
"for  the  infinite  service  he  has  been  pleased  to 
"do  them,  in  defending  them  and  their  constitu- 
"ents,  from  the  cruelty  and  bloody  rage  of  our 
"unnatural  enemy,  who  sought  our  destruction 
"on  the  1 6th  of  August  last.  They  also  return 
"  their  grateful  acknowledgments  for  the  honor 
"  the  General  has  been  pleased  to  do  the  council, 
"by  presenting  them  with  one  Hessian  gun,  with 
"a  bayonet,  one  broadsword,  one  brass  barrelled 
"drum,  and  a  grenadier's  cap,  taken  on  the  mem- 
"orable  i6th  of  August,  for  the  use  of  this  State. 
"  The  General  may  rely  upon  it,  they  will  be  re- 
"  served  for  the  use  they  were  designed. 

"  I  am,  dear  General,  with  sentiments  of  esteem, 
"your  most  obedient  humble  servant, 

"  THOMAS  CHITTENDEN,  President. 
"HoN.  BRIG.-GEN.  STARK." 

Stark  also  presented  to  the  Vermont  Council 
of  Safety,  a  Hessian  broadsword,  as  a  mark  of 
his  approbation  of  their  zeal  in  the  public  cause. 
"/«  Council  of  Safety,  6th  Sept.  1777. 

"  The  Council's  Compliments  most  cordially 
"wait  on  his  honor,  Brigadier-General  Stark,  with 
"  their  sincere  thanks,  for  the  honor  the  General 
"  has  been  pleased  to  do  them,  by  presenting  them 
"  with  a  Hessian  broadsword,  taken  by  a  number 
"of  troops  from  the  State  of  New  Hampshire, 
"and  elsewhere,  under  his  immediate  command, 
"  in  the  memorable  battle,  fought  in  Walloomsack, 
"near  this  place,  on  the  i6th  of  August  last;  and 
"  also  for  the  honor  the  General  has  been  pleased 
"  to  do  them,  in  applauding  their  exertions  in  a 
"public  weal,  as  a  Council.  JOSEPH  FAY,  Secy"' 
"BRIG.-GEN.  STARK." 


The  Battle  of  Bennington. 


61 


TROPHIES  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  BENNINGTON. 


The  comparative  strength  of  forces  can  never 
be  accurately  known.  Stark  had  under  his  com 
mand,  most  likely,  between  seventeen  hundred  and 
eighteen  hundred  men;  but  they  were  mostly 
what  might  be  termed  raw  militia,  who  not  only 
worked  under  the  disadvantage  of  no  experience, 
or  but  very  little,  but  also,  without  full  and  com 
plete  equipments,  as  possessed  by  the  enemy. 
Baum  had  nearly  six  hundred  men,  not  counting 
his  Indian  allies,  which  were  an  hundred  and  fifty 
more.  Breyman,  without  doubt,  had  a  thousand 
men ;  and  so,  as  nearly  as  we  can  determine,  the 
forces  were  not  far  from  being  equal.  Possibly 
the  Americans  were  a  little  the  stronger,  to  the 
amount  of  Warner's  regiment,  but  the  enemy's 
superior  military  equipments  and  knowledge  more 
than  offset  this  number.  The  only  way  to  ac 
count  for  our  victory  on  that  day  is  to  attribute 


62  The  Battle  of  Bennington. 

it  to  the  superior  tact  of   our  officers,  and  the 
hardy  valor  and  determined  bravery  of  our  men. 

OFFICIAL  REPORT  OF  GENERAL  STARK  TO  THE 
NEW  HAMPSHIRE  COUNCIL 

"  BENNINGTON,  August  i$t7i,  1777. 

"  Gentlemen, —  I  congratulate  you  on  the  late 
"  success  of  your  troops  under  my  command,  by 
"  express.  I  propose  to  give  you  a  brief  account  of 
"  my  proceedings,  since  I  wrote  to  you  last. 

"  I  left  Manchester,  Vt.,  on  the  8th  instant,  and 
"  arrived  here  on  the  9th.  The  1 3th  I  was  in- 
"  formed  that  a  party  of  Indians  were  at  Cam- 
"  bridge,  which  is  twelve  miles  distant  from  this 
"  place,  on  their  march  thither.  I  detached  Col. 
"  Gregg,  with  two  hundred  men  under  his  com- 
"  mand,  to  stop  their  march. 

"  In  the  evening,  I  had  information  by  express, 
"  that  there  was  a  large  body  of  the  enemy  on  their 
"way,  with  field-pieces,  in  order  to  march  through 
"the  country,  commanded  by  Governor  Skeene. 
;<The  izj-th,  I  marched  with  my  brigade,  and  a 
"portion  of  the  State  militia,  to  oppose  them,  and 
"cover  Gregg's  retreat,  who  found  himself  unable 
"to  withstand  their  superior  numbers.  About 
"four  miles  from  this  town,  I  accordingly  met 
"  him  on  his  return,  and  the  enemy  in  close  pur- 
"suit  of  him,  within  a  half  mile  of  his  rear;  but 
"when  they  discovered  me,  they  presently  halted 
"  on  a  very  advantageous  piece  of  ground. 

"  I  drew  up  my  little  army,  on  an  eminence  in 
"view  of  their  encampment,  but  could  not  bring 
"  them  to  an  engagement.  I  marched  back  about 
"  a  mile,  and  there  encamped.  I  sent  a  few  men 
"  to  skirmish  with  them,  who  killed  thirty  of  them, 


The  Battle  of  Bennington.  63 

"with  two  Indian  chiefs.  The  I5th  it  rained  all 
"  day :  I  sent  out  parties  to  harrass  them. 

"The  1 6th,  I  was  joined  by  this  State's  (Vt.) 
"  militia,  and  those  of  Berkshire  county.  I  divided 
"  my  army  into  three  divisions,  and  sent  Lieut. 
"  Col.  Nichols,  with  two  hundred  and  fifty1  men  on 
"  the  rear  of  their  left  wing,  Colonel  Herrick  on  the 
"  rear  of  their  right,  ordered,  when  joined,  to  attack 
"the  same.  In  the  meantime,  I  sent  three  hun- 
"dred  men  to  oppose  the  enemy's  front,  to  draw 
"their  attention  that  way.  Soon  after,  I  detached 
"Colonels  Hubbard  and  Stickney  on  their  right 
"wing,  with  two  hundred  men,  to  attack  that  part; 
"  all  which  plans  had  their  desired  effect.  Colonel 
"  Nichols  sent  me  word  that  he  stood  in  need  of 
"a  reinforcement,  which  I  readily  granted,  con- 
"  sisting  of  one  hundred  men  ;  at  which  time  he 
"  commenced  the  attack,  precisely  at  three  o'clock 
"in  the  afternoon,  which  was  followed  by  all  the 
"rest.  I  pushed  forward  the  remainder  with  all 
"  speed. 

"  Our  people  behaved  with  the  greatest  spirit 
"  and  bravery  imaginable.  Had  they  been  Alex- 
"  anders  or  Charleses  of  Sweden,  they  could  not 
"  have  behaved  better. 

u  The  action  lasted  two  hours ;  at  the  expira- 
"  tion  of  which  time  we  forced  their  breastworks, 
"  at  the  muzzle  of  their  guns ;  took  two  pieces  of 
"brass  cannon,  with  a  number  of  prisoners  ;  but 
"  before  I  could  get  them  into  proper  form  again, 
"  I  received  intelligence  that  there  was  a  large  re 
inforcement  within  two  miles  of  us,  on  their 
"  march,  which  occasioned  us  to  renew  our  attack ; 
"but,  luckily  for  us,  Colonel  Warner's  regiment 
"  came  up,  which  put  a  stop  to  their  career.  We 

i  In  a  letter  to  Gates,  written  four  days  later,  Stark  says  two  hun 
dred  men. 


64  The  Battle  of  Bennington. 

"soon  rallied,  and  in  a  few  minutes,  the  action 
"began  very  warm  and  desperate,  which  lasted 
"  until  night.  We  used  their  cannon  against  them, 
"  which  proved  of  great  service  to  us. 

"  At  sunset,  we  obliged  them  to  retreat  a  sec- 
"  ond  time ;  we  pursued  them  till  dark,  when  I 
"  was  obliged  to  halt,  for  fear  of  killing  our  men. 

"  We  recovered  two  pieces  more  of  their  can- 
"  non,  together  with  all  their  baggage,  a  number 
"  of  horses,  carriages,  etc. ;  killed  upwards  of  two 
"  hundred  of  the  enemy  in  the  field  of  battle. 

"  The  number  of  wounded  is  not  yet  known,  as 
"  they  are  scattered  about  in  many  places.  I  have 
"one  lieutenant  colonel,  since  dead,  (Colonel 
"  Baum),  one  major,  seven  captains,  fourteen 
"lieutenants,  four  ensigns,  two  cornets,  one  judge 
"advocate,  one  baron,  two  Canadian  officers,  six 
"  sergeants,  one  aid-de-camp,  one  Hessian  chaplain, 
"  three  Hessian  surgeons,  and  seven  hundred  pris- 


"  oners. 


"  I  enclose  you  a  copy  of  General  Burgoyne's 
"  instructions  to  Colonel  Baum,  who  commanded 
"  the  detachment  that  engaged  us.  Our  wounded 
"  are  forty-two,  ten  privates,  and  four  officers,  be- 
"  longing  to  my  brigade  ;  one  dead.  The  dead 
"  and  wounded  in  the  other  corps,  I  do  not  know, 
"  as  they  have  not  brought  in  their  returns  yet. 

"  I  am,  Gentlemen,  with  the  greatest  regard, 
"your  most  obedient  and  humble  servant, 

"JoriN  STARK,  Brigadier  General  Commanding. 

"  P.  S.  I  think  in  this  action,  we  have  returned 
"the  enemy  a  proper  compliment  for  their  Hub- 
"  bardston  engagement." 

Congress,  upon  learning  of  Stark's  victory  at 
Bennington,  hastened  to  make  up  for  their  neglect 


The  Battle  of  Bennington.  65 

of  his  talents  as  a  military  leader,  by  making  him 
a  Brigadier-General  in  the  army  of  the  United 
States.  Massachusetts  voted  him  "a  complete 
suit  of  clothes  becoming  his  rank,  together  with  a 
piece  of  linen."  Everywhere  people  were  loud  in 
in  his  praise.  The  man  who  had  been  so  long 
neglected  and  forgotten ;  the  man  who  had  been 
laughed  and  sneered  at,  as  not  capable  of  com 
manding  anything  more  than  a  regiment,  was 
suddenly  discovered  to  possess  a  military  ability 
of  essential  importance  to  the  country ! 

WAS  COL.  WARNER  IN  THE  FIRST  ACTION  ? 

I  answer  at  once,  yes,  although  on  turning  to 
the  pages  of  many  of  our  National,  and  some  of 
our  State  Historians,  we  are  led  to  believe  that 
he  arrived  with  his  regiment  in  time  to  meet  Brey- 
man's  reinforcements.  That  Warner's  regiment 
arrived  at  that  time,  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt. 
That  Warner  came  with  them,  is  a  mistake.  Hil- 
dreth,  in  his  History  of  the  United  States,  says, 
"  Warner's  regiment  luckily  arrived  at  the  same 
time,"  meaning  at  the  moment  of  Breyman's 
arrival ;  nothing  about  Warner  being  there  be 
fore  then.  Bancroft,  in  his  History  of  the  United 
States :  "  Warner  now  first  brought  up  his  regi 
ment."  Marshall  in  his  Life  of  Washington  :  "For 
tunately  at  this  critical  juncture,  Colonel  Warner 
came  up  with  his  continental  regiment."  Irving, 
in  his  Life  of  Washington :  "  Colonel  Seth  War 
ner's  corps  fortunately  arrived  from  Bennington." 


66  The  Battle  of  Bennington. 

Nothing  about  Warner's  being  there  previously. 
Botta's  American  Revolution  :  "  Colonel  Warner 
arrived  at  the  head  of  his  regiment."  Ira  Allen's 
History  of  Vermont :  "  At  this  critical  moment, 
Col.  Warner  arrived  with  his  regiment."  Samuel 

o 

Williams's  History  of  Vermont :  "Colonel  Warner 
came  up  with  his  regiment  from  Manchester." 

Warner  was  with  Stark  several  days  previous 
to,  and  during  the  entire  i6th  of  August.  When 
Stark  first  learned  of  the  advance  of  the  enemy 
in  force,  he,  to  use  his  own  words,  "  sent  to  Man 
chester,  to  Colonel  Warner's  regiment,  that  was 
stationed  there,"  as  well  as  to  the  militia  in  the 
surrounding  neighborhood.  "  I  then,"  he  says, 
"marched  in  company  with  Warner,  Williams, 
Herrick,  and  Brush,  with  all  the  men  that  were 
present."  When  Breyman  arrived,  and  seemed 
about  to  turn  the  fortunes  of  the  day,  Stark  says, 
"  Luckily  for  us,  that  moment  Colonel  Warner's 
regiment  came  up  fresh."  Still  farther  along  in 
his  letter  to  Gates  :  "  Colonel  Warner's  superior 
skill  in  the  action  was  of  extraordinary  service  to 
me."  In  his  official  reports  to  the  Council  of 
New  Hampshire,  he  also  speaks  of  Colonel  War 
ner's  regiment  as  coming  up  in  time  to  put  a  stop 
to  the  enemy's  career. 

.  Daniel  Chipman,  in  his  Life  of  Warner,  admits 
that  he  might  have  been  with  Stark  just  previous 
to  the  battle,  but  thinks  he  must  have  gone  back 
to  get  his  regiment,  Stark  delaying  the  action 
until  he  should  arrive,  and  getting  impatient  at 


The  Battle  of  Bennington.  67 

three  o'clock,  commencing  the  attack.  That  Stark 
having  nearly  eighteen  hundred  men,  should  wait 
hours  for  one  hundred  and  thirty  more,  before  at 
tacking  a  force  of  six  or  seven,  or  even  eight  hun 
dred,  is  simply  absurd.  Stark,  in  his  letter  to 
Gates,  explains  the  delay :  "  I  pursued  my  plan, 
"  detached  Col.  Nichols,  with  two  hundred  men, 
"  to  attack  them  in  the  rear ;  I  also  sent  Colonel 
"  Herrick,  with  three  hundred  men,  in  the  rear  of 
"their  right,  both  to  join,  and  when  joined,  to  at- 
"  tack  their  rear.  .  .  .  About  three  o'clock  we  got 
"all  ready  for  the  attack.  Col.  Nichols  begun 
"  the  same,  which  was  followed  by  all  the  rest." 
That  don't  seem  to  indicate  that  he  was  waiting 
for  Warner. 

Thomas  Mellen,  in  a  statement  given  to  Rev. 
Mr.  Butler,  says,  "Stark  and  Warner  rode  up 
"  near  the  enemy,  to  reconnoitre  ;  were  fired  at 
"with  the  cannon,  and  came  galloping  back. 
"Stark  rode  with  shoulder's  bent  forward,  and 
"  cried  cut  to  his  men  :  '  Those  rascals  know  that 
"  I  am  an  officer  ;  don't  you  see  they  honor  me 
"  with  a  big  gun  as  a  salute  ? ' ' 

Solomon  Safford,  who  turned  out  with  Captain 
Samuel  Robinson's  company,  says,1  "  On  the  morn-. 
"  ing  of  the  battle,  after  the  company  had  started 
"  off  with  Col.  Herrick,  Gen.  Stark  and  Col.  War- 
''  ner  rode  past  him  on  horseback,  and  accosted 
"him." 

Rev.  Isaac  Jeninngs,  in  his  Memorials  of  a  Cen- 

i  MSS.  statement  to  Hon,  Hiland  Hall. 


68  The  Battle  of  Bennington. 

tury,  says, "  William  Carpenter  of  Swansea,  N.  H., 
so  his  son,  Judge  Carpenter,  of  Akron,  Ohio,  told 
me,  used  to  relate,  as  what  he  himself  heard,  that 
the  order  was  given  by  Gen.  Stark  to  an  aid, 
to  retreat.  Warner  heard  it,  and  said,  'Stand  to 
it,  my  lads  ;  you  shall  have  help  immediately,' " 
meaning,  of  course,  his  own  regiment.  This  was 
immediately  after  the  first  action. 

Other  proofs  might  be  cited,  but  it  is  not  nec 
essary.  Sufficient  have  been  given,  to  convince 
any  reasonable  mind,  anxious  for  the  truth.  Let 
us  trust  future  historians,  when  writing  of  the 
Battle  of  Bennington,  may  be  more  careful  in  ren 
dering  "  honor  to  whom  honor  is  due." 

ANECDOTES  AND  INDIVIDUAL  EXPERIENCES. 

One  venerable  old  man  had  five  sons  in  the 
battle.  As  might  naturally  be  supposed,  he 
awaited,  with  anxiety,  the  results  of  the  contest. 
At  last  news  came,  but  the  messenger  who  brought 
it,  brought  with  him,  also,  tidings  for  the  father, 
that  he  feared  would  fill  the  old  man's  heart  with 
grief.  As  gently  as  possible,  he  told  him  he  had 
something  bad  to  tell  him,  concerning  one  of  his 
sons. 

"  Did  he  disobey  orders,  or  desert  his  post  ?  "  he 
asked. 

"  No." 

"  Did  he  falter  in  the  charge  ?  " 

"No,  worse  than  that!  " 

"What  then,  worse  than  that?" 


The  Battle  of  Bennington.  69 

"  He  is  dead ! "  was  the  answer. 

"Then  it  is  not  worse,"  exclaimed  the  father. 
"  Bring  him  in,  that  I  may  once  more  gaze  on  the 
face  of  my  darling  boy."  And  when  they  brought 
him  in,  covered  with  dust  and  blood,  he  called  for 
water  and  sponge,  and  with  his  own  hand  bathed 
the  disfigured  features,  declaring,  at  the  same 
time,  that  he  had  never  experienced  a  more  glo 
rious  or  happier  day  in  his  life. 

Rev.  Thomas  Allen,  of  the  Berkshire  militia, 
fought  as  a  private,  and  was  among  the  foremost 
to  advance  on  the  Hessian's  defense.  Arriving 
within  speaking  distance,  he  mounted  a  stump, 
and  called  out  to  them  to  surrender,  and  thereby 
save  the  effusion  of  blood.  A  volley  was  the  only 
reply,  which,  the  reverend  gentleman  escaping, 
he  returned  to  the  ranks.  Here,  finding  himself 
a  better  marksman  than  his  brother,  who  was  also 
present,  he  said  to  him,"  Joe,  you  load  and  I'll  fire," 
and  so  they  worked  together,  side  by  side,  until 
the  last  grand  charge  that  carried  Baum's  works. 
In  after  years  he  delighted  to  recall  the  scenes  in 
cidental  to  that  glorious  day.  In  conversation, 
some  one  asked  if  he  killed  anybody  on  that  oc 
casion. 

"  I  don't  exactly  know  that  I  killed  any  one," 
was  the  reply,  "  nor  indeed  how  near  I  came  to  it. 
"  It  was  just  this  way ;  off  some  distance,  I  observed 
"  a  clump  of  bushes,  from  which  arose,  every  now 
"'  and  then,  a  little  cloud  of  smoke,  preceded  by  a 
"  momentary  flash,  and  the  sharp  report  of  a  gun. 


70  The  Battle  of  Bennington. 

"  I  noticed  too,  that  one  of  our  men  fell,  either 
"wounded  or  dead,  every  time  this  phenomenon 
"occurred,  so  I  naturally  concluded  that  some- 
"  thing  was  wrong  for  our  side.  I  loaded  up  very 
"carefully,  and  fired  into  the  midst  of  that  clump 
"  of  bushes.  I  am  not  certain,  mind  you,  that  I 
"  did  really  /'///any  one  ;  but  I  know  I  put  out  that 
"flash!" 

This  was  a  proud  day,  said  one  old  soldier,  in 
his  reminiscences  of  the  battle,  quoting  nearly  his 
own  words,  —  this  was  a  proud  day  for  the  poor 
Green  Mountain  Boys,  who  were  yet  smarting 
with  the  wounds  they  had  so  lately  received  at 
the  downfall  of  Ticonderoga.  They  could  not 
readily  forget  the  slaughter  of  their  brothers  of 
Colonel  Warner's  regiment,  that  was  so  badly  cut 
to  pieces  at  Hubbardtown  ;  and  when  the  word 
came,  when  the  alarm  sounded  that  the  enemy 
were  coming,  every  man  left  his  plow  and  his  axe, 
and  forthwith  marched  to  meet  the  invaders,  and 
drive  them  from  the  field.  They  marched,  some 
of  them  with  officers,  many  of  them  without; 
there  was  no  anxiety  as  to  who  should  command, 
indeed  little  thought  was  given  as  to  whether 
there  should  be  any  commander,  the  principal 
idea  being  to  gain  a  good  position,  and  with  care 
ful  aim,  bring  down  the  invaders,  one  by  one. 

Stark  ordered  a  Colonel  with  his  regiment,  to 
reinforce  one  of  the  wings,  that  had  sustained  con 
siderable  loss  in  the  action.  The  Colonel  marched 
at  the  instant,  but  with  a  certain  step  peculiar  to 


The  Battle  of  Bennington.  7 1 

himself,  slow,  firm,  and  steady.  The  whole  par 
ish  was  in  his  regiment,  and  they  had  brought 
with  them  their  much-loved  parson,  without  whose 
blessing,  they  could  scarcely  think  to  prosper. 
The  officer  in  command  of  the  corps  to  be  relieved, 
fearing  every  instant,  his  men,  from  fatigue  and 
loss,  would  give  way,  sent  to  hasten  the  Colonel. 
"  Tell  them,"  said  he,  "  we're  coming,"  and  kept 
his  pace  steadily  on.  This  man  was,  at  home,  a 
deacon, —  wore  an  old-fashioned,  long-waisted  coat, 
with  large  pocket-flaps,  and  herring-boned  cuffs, 
and  a  three  cornered  hat,  the  fore-part  something 
resembling  the  handle  of  a  pipkin,  except  that  the 
extreme  point  of  it  might  have  endangered  the 
eye  of  a  mosquito,  had  he  run  unguardedly  against 
it. 

A  second  express  arrived.  "  Colonel,  for  God's 
sake  hurry  ;  my  men  are  beginning  to  fall  back  ! " 
"  That  will  make  room  for  us, —  tell  'em  we're 
coming,"  keeping  still  the  unaltered  pace  and  phiz 
quite  placid  and  unconcerned. 

A  third  message  was  treated  just  as  cool.  Soon 
they  emerged  from  behind  a  coppice,  in  full  view 
of  the  enemy,  and  several  balls  passed  over  them. 
"Halt,"  said  the  Colonel,  " form  column,  and  let 
us  attend  to  prayers."  The  chaplain  was  called, 
and  ordered,  with  all  due  formality,  to  attend  to 
his  duty,  but  during  this  solemnity,  an  unlucky 
shot  wounded  one  of  the  men.  The  Colonel  now, 
for  the  first  time,  began  to  show  some  little  im 
patience,  for  no  sooner  had  the  parson  pronounced 


72  The  Battle  of  Bennington. 

"  Amen,"  than  the  men  were  ordered  to  march. 
But  yet  the  Colonel  kept  his  steady  pace,  until 
he  had  taken  the  ground  in  front  of  the  poor 
fellows  who  were  almost  ready  to  leave  the  field, 
and  but  for  the  love  of  Liberty,  could  not  have 
kept  it  half  so  long.  And  then  the  word  came 
from  the  Colonel,  "  Give  it  to  'em,  give  it  to  'em ! " 
and  he  stepped  along  the  ranks  calmly  as  ever, 
chewing  his  quid,  which  he  now  and  then  replaced, 
often  obliging  those  who  stood  next  to  him  with 
his  box.  "  The  Hessians  are  in  front,"  said  he, 
our  wives  and  children  in  the  rear.  Liberty  is 
the  prize, —  we  fight  for  Liberty!"  The  enemy 
pressed,  but  pressed  on  to  their  destruction.  We 
fought,  we  bled,  and  we  conquered. 


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